Two is Better than One
by Slayers64
Summary: First impressions aren't always as they appear. Sometimes the things you think you know about a person are really only skin deep in reality. As Shizuo and Izaya battle with their daily struggles in life, the two gradually begin to realize that maybe . . . just maybe, "Two is better than one." For CloudsofSand rating will go up. Warning: multiple parings (ends shizaya)
1. His name is Izaya Orihara

Two is better than one

-slayers64

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A.N. - just a short little something I made on a whim. I told a friend about the general idea of things and that I didn't know if it would be that enjoyable since I didn't have much of a plot at the time, but she convinced me to give it a try and see how far I can take it, so I'm gonna dedicate this to her.

**For: CloudsofSand**

Hope you like it! ^^ If you want anything in here in particular, just message me.

**Disclaimer- You deeply wound me each time :'( (no, I do not own durarara)**

**P.S. - This fic will be rated T for now, but the rating will go up due to the nature of this fic. **

_**And now I would like to clear something up before you all start reading:**_

**Celty has her head in this fic (meaning she can talk)**

**Izaya and Shizuo do not know each other (meaning this is their first meeting)**

**Izaya is still in high school and Shizuo is out of school **

**Izaya may seem a little happy in the beginning, but this story has a lot happening and both Shizuo and Izaya have their share of screw ups, so don't expect it to be happy go lucky for ever. **

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**(Shizuo's P.O.V.)**

Running a hand through blond locks of hair, Shizuo huffed, annoyed at his current situation. "Okay . . ., remind me again why I'm doing this, please?"

His co-worker Tom, chuckled lightly at his response, clasping a hand over the debt collector's shoulder in a familiar way. "Come on now, don't be like that. I know it's a bit of a hassle that your old hair stylist had to quit her job, but really this guy is good, promise! He's really good at hair styling and really knows how to keep a conversation going. The guy himself is a bit of a mystery, but he seems decent enough," Tom reassured, his eyes closed slightly in amusement.

Shizuo rolled his eyes, taking a drag of his cigarette, as he inhaled the cancerous stick, savoring the nicotine that seemed to relax his nerves. He'd been going to the same hair stylist for about seven years now and really enjoyed her company as well as her skills. The woman wasn't exactly the best at conversation but she tried her best, and it actually comforted the blond man to know that he didn't have to try so hard in conversing back. Unfortunately the woman's boyfriend had gotten himself into a bit of trouble as of late, so regretfully she was forced to resign from her job, resulting in the two moving.

Now Shizuo who had been going to the same hair stylist for years was forced to look for a new one. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea exactly, since Celty had been the only hair stylist he'd ever trusted. What if this new guy was some sort of freak, or he tried to get Shizuo to change his hair color, or was bothered by Shizuo's quietness, or asked a bunch of personal questions, or what if he-

"We're here." Suddenly getting cut off from his turmoil of thoughts, Shizuo looked quickly from his co-worker and then to the small building in front of them. It was a small little place, but had a good location and seemed to be a respectable establishment. It made the ex bartender a little nervous, standing in front of the place, unsure of what he wanted or who this new hair stylist that Tom had recommended even was.

Standing numbly in front of the door, Shizuo stared at the sign blankly, seeming to focus on the store hours intently, but really just staring into space. Tom, easily picking up on his kohai's uneasiness, rolled his eyes playfully.

"Well? Are you going in or not?"

Swallowing thickly, Shizuo stomped out the quickly deteriorating cigarette and groaned under his breath.

"Alright, alright, I'm going in. Just . . . don't rush me!" He snapped, his mocha eyes wavering.

Grinning, Tom brought a hand up to rest on the blonde's head, ruffling the fading blond tresses.

"Looks like you could go for another dye as well," he recommended, noticing the natural brown poking out from the roots.

"Yeah, yeah, just get of here and go finish that errand you said you had to do. I've got it from here," Shizuo grumbled, shoving the hand away, embarrassed.

The man grinned, shaking his head.

"Alright, alright, just try to relax and when you go in there, ask for an "Izaya Orihara", they'll gladly be willing to help you out. The people in there are very kind, if not a tad bit strange." Tom spoke, clapping his co-worker on the shoulder one last time, before waving a hand in dismissal.

Shizuo grunted a mutual good bye in his stead, before redirecting his attention to the door. After Tom left, the blonde had come to the conclusion that he had been standing there for quite some time, when a person from inside came to open the door.

"Hello~? May I help you, Sir?" A voice questioned with an undeniable purr in its tone. The sudden appearance surprised Shizuo slightly, making him jump back a bit. The action summoned a light snicker from the raven in front of him, before the voice continued.

"Easy now, I don't bite~ Were you looking for a hair cut or something?"

The reply earned a blush of embarrassment from the taller of the two, as he sighed mentally.

_'Here goes nothing. There's no turning back now . . .'_

"Uhm yeah . . ., a haircut and a dye would be nice . . ." Shizuo answered awkwardly back, scratching the back of his head.

"I was told to ask for an "Izaya Orihara" from a co-worker of mine." Shizuo added on, leaning from one foot to the other in a nervous habit. The man seemed to brighten up at this as a big grin etched across his face. "Looking at him~ It seems my skills have spread far, indeed," the dark haired man purred, confidently.

"Well come on in, I can take care of you right now if you'd like." The man offered, stepping back, as he motioned his hand in a waving gesture to beckon the blond inside. Shizuo nodded stiffly, walking inside, caught off guard that this "Izaya Orihara" was so young looking.

Allowing his gaze to glide over the man for a moment, Shizuo took note of his appearance. The guy seemed to be about in his late teens or early adult years. He had fine, dark black hair that ran down shortly, framing his face, and piercing red eyes to match. His outfit consisted of a tight fitting red shirt with a black half jacket that hugged his body attractively, and black form fitting pants which only added to his superior looks. Sure he was a bit on the short side, but it didn't really take away from his looks, instead only amplifying them. The guy was a tad bit on the thin side, but didn't seem to be too bad off; a little more meat on his bones would be nice, but hey, can't be perfect. He seemed to be pretty fit and had high cheek bones as well. In short, the guy was pretty good looking.

Catching the blonde's eyes raking up and down his body, the hair stylist grinned, cheekily.

"Like what you see~?" He purred, winking suggestively at Shizuo, earning a sharp blush in response.

"W-what! It's not like that, I swear! I wasn't trying to perv on you or anything, honest!" Shizuo fussed defensively, waving his hands around in an exaggerated manner, as his cheeks stained an uncharacteristically bright shade of pink.

Puffing out his cheeks, the raven laughed hysterically, bending over with mirth. Shizuo stared dumbfounded at the raven, confused and insecure at the man's reaction. He didn't know whether that was a good sign or a bad sign, so he just decided to stand there awkwardly as he waited for the guy to catch his breath.

"Ahahahah! Geez Mr. Bartender, take it easy. I'm only fucking with you," Izaya spoke up, his voice laced with humor. Shizuo winced at the crude wording, only fueling the man's fun. "Alright, run it by me what you need again?" Izaya asked, graciously changing the subject, as he looked up at Shizuo, questioningly. Once he answered, Izaya nodded with a hum, motioning for the debt collector to follow him. Leading the way to the very back, Izaya grabbed a black hair apron and wrapped it around the blond, before motioning for him to sit down and lean his head back. Placing a dry towel under his neck, Izaya looked down at the blond.

"Hey, so what's your name anyway? I'm usually very good with names, but I don't think I've ever seen you around town before." Izaya asked conversationally, turning on the water to wet his customer's hair. Shizuo hissed at the hot temperature, earning an amused smirk from the raven above him. "Awe~ Can Mr. Bartender not take the heat? I'm sowwy, I'll turn it down!" Izaya teased, his eyes closing to slits, as he adjusted the water accordingly. Shizuo growled at this, before biting in. "My name is Shizuo Heiwajima, _not _Mr. Bartender."

Izaya seemed to consider this for a moment, before snapping his fingers. "Alright got it, I'll call you Shizu-chan!" He chirped, drenching Shizuo's hair with warm water. Shizuo growled, clenching his fists tightly. "Don't call me that! What's wrong with you?!"

Izaya grinned childishly, as he uncapped a bottle of the salon's shampoo and squeezed a general amount into his palm. "Hey, I think it's cute~ Does Shizu-chan not agree?" Izaya asked mockingly, as he gently began massaging the substance into the dark tresses. Shizuo grunted at this, glaring up into vermilion eyes accordingly.

"It's too familiar, that's why. And it's childish too." Shizuo bit back stubbornly, as he subconsciously leaned in to the feeling of the raven's gentle massaging hands. He had to admit it felt nice. As for his new hair stylist, he couldn't say much about him yet, besides the fact that the guy annoyed him a little, but other than that, he was still rather neutral in his opinion. Izaya rinsed out the shampoo, adding in conditioner, as the two went back and forth for a while over the nickname.

After a while, Izaya squeezed out the excess water from the blonde's hair, and wrapped a towel around his head, finally instructing him to sit up and follow him to a close by chair. Luckily there weren't many customers, so Shizuo didn't find himself waiting for the raven to return much; instead his attention was purely on him.

As the two conversed, Shizuo quickly learned that Izaya enjoyed talking a lot, especially about his customers and Shizuo was no exception. At first it had made the blond a little uncomfortable, but as time went on, he began to settle down and even added to the conversation. The raven liked to ask a bunch of questions it seemed, but rarely revealed anything about himself, and what was revealed, usually came in snippets so that you couldn't really piece one and two together.

Even as they went through the process of cutting and dyeing, rarely did their talking ever die down, ranging from many different topics. It was hard for Shizuo to keep up at first, but gradually he adjusted to the onslaught of growing questions, taking each one in stride. They went from subjects such as:

"So do you really work as a bartender? I mean you are wearing the outfit,"

to questions like:

"So how long have you been dying your hair?"

The list went on and on and when the questions became too much, Shizuo just found himself ignoring the man. The guy was a bit chatty, he would admit, and Shizuo could easily see himself getting annoyed by him, but for the most part there just wasn't enough to base a solid opinion on him. He really didn't seem like that bad a person and at least he kept Shizuo entertained. It was a lot different from talking with his old hair stylist; Celty had always been the quiet type, only adding conversation in when it was needed. It was relaxing being around her and Shizuo often found himself comfortable enough to vent to the woman. She was a very trustworthy person and the two even hung out on occasion when their schedules weren't so full. Shizuo had to admit that he would miss her. She was a great friend.

Getting used to Izaya might take a while, he'd concluded, but maybe it would be a good change. It would give the blonde a chance to talk and get to know a new person, and who knows? Maybe eventually the two might become good friends, just like what had happened with Celty and him.

As he found himself slowly warming up to the idea, Shizuo felt somewhat content, and was highly considering thanking Tom for suggesting him to Izaya.

That is . . . until the guy started hitting on him.

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**A.N. - Alright so everything this first chapter is supposed to be kind of fluffy and playful but just so you all know, it's not always gonna be like this. Both Shizuo and Izaya have a lot of shit going on in their lives.**

**And sorry if the end seemed a bit sudden, I didn't actually plan on stopping like that, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity. **

**Hope you all enjoyed! R&R please!**

**P.S. - I'll let you guys take a vote on whose p.o.v. you would like me to do each chapter. :3  
**


	2. Please come again

Two is better than one

Chapter 2: Please come again~

-slayers64

**Disclaimer: I do not own . . .**

**A.N.- Yup, another chapter. You guys get to read about flirty Izaya this chapter! ~ Hooray for you!**

**P.S.- Here's your reward Shizzy~**

**(Shizuo's POV)**

"Hm, so let me get this straight~ You dress like a bartender, but you're actually a debt collector, was it? Ahaha, you have weird habits then. Wonder what your girlfriend thinks of that . . . She must think you're really strange~" Izaya hummed, absentmindedly.

Shizuo paused at this, sudden confusion in his eyes. "Girlfriend? Ah no, I don't have a girlfriend," Shizuo corrected, an eyebrow raised in bemusement, as if it were the craziest idea in the world.

"Oh?" A momentarily perplex look shot across the raven's face, before it abruptly turned into a playful expression. "Then it must be a boyfriend, then, right?" Izaya asked, smirking as he stared at the blond with mischief.

If Shizuo had been drinking something at the time, then it most definitely would have been spit out in his moment of shock. He sputtered for breath, stumbling over his words, as his face heated, immensely.

"W-what are you talking about? What in the world made you come to that conclusion?!"

Izaya tilted his head, skeptical, one eyebrow raised. "A hot, muscular blond like yourself . . . there's just no way you're single."

"But I am!" Shizuo retorted, staring up at the raven with disbelief.

"**You're gay."** Izaya deadpanned, plain and simple.

Shizuo gawked up at the russet eyed man in astonishment. Did he really just hear the guy right?

"I am not gay! Why do I have to be gay just because I don't have a girlfriend?" Shizuo stressed, giving the man an incredulous look.

Izaya waved his index finger back and forth, making a "tsk, tsk" noise, before answering.

"Shizu-chan, Shizu-chan, I can tell you're not really a good listener, are you? If you were, then you would realize that I already answered that question~ And even if you aren't gay, you have to at least like boys to some degree then, correct?"

Shizuo blinked, finding difficulty keeping up with the conversation. How did they get here in the conversation? He was puzzled by it all, especially how Izaya seemed to be so sure of himself, that Shizuo Heiwajima was indeed a homosexual. It just wasn't plausible. But then again . . . neither was the idea of him having a girlfriend as well, however.

Shizuo ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "What logic is that, damn flea?!" It wasn't too often that Shizuo gave a person a nickname, but Izaya was turning out to be a special case.

Izaya smirked at the nickname, taken aback. "Oh~? Giving me a nickname so early on in the game? I must be making _some _impression on you~" Izaya purred, teasingly.

Shizuo shivered, making a show of his discomfort, which only seemed to fuel the raven's play tenfold.

"What? I'm not sexy enough for you? Hm, Shi-zu-chan?" Izaya spoke, expressing each syllable of Shizuo's name with playful intentions. He leaned over towards the blond, lightly fanning a hand through his hair, as if to admire his work. "You hurt me, so~"

Shizuo shrunk away from the touch with a cold shiver. It was weird. He'd never had anyone act so careless around him. It was downright abnormal. Granted the guy didn't even know who he was and this was a different part of town, but it was still so strange. Shaking his head, Shizuo groaned.

"I told you I'm not like that!" He bit back stubbornly, earning a big grin to manifest itself over the hair dresser's face. Cupping the blonde's cheeks firmly in his hands, Izaya leaned forwards into Shizuo's face, and allowed his crimson orbs to stare challengingly at the mocha ones. "I think I could help you with that~" Izaya's sultry expression made the blond flush red with embarrassment. He was shocked at the audacity of this guy, as well as the closeness. _'Isn't this sexual harassment or something?!'_ His mouth fell open as if he were about to speak, but he was cut off before he could proceed.

"Orihara-san."

A strict voice made the two look up in inquiry. A woman stood there with long, brown hair and piercing dark brown eyes, a frown settled harshly upon her youthful face.

Izaya's eyes seemed to light up at the woman's arrival. "Yes, Namie-chan~?"

Her eyes narrowed as she folded her arms across her chest. "Stop harassing our customers. Get back to work."

"Awe~ Namie-chan, you're such a killjoy . . . We were having so much fun too!" Izaya gave a mock sigh of disappointment, walking towards, who Shizuo could only guess, was Izaya's employer. Disregarding the raven completely, Namie directed her gaze to Shizuo. "I apologize, Sir for this one's behavior. Think nothing of him. I'll be docking his pay, I assure you."

"Eeeeh? How mean, Namie-chan! You're so cruel!" Izaya whined childishly, earning a huff from the woman. "Get to work and stop fooling around, and maybe I won't need to do so. Either way, you of all people don't need the extra cash," Namie commented, sparing Izaya a glare.

"Ah? So now you're jealous of my wealth, are you? Namie-chan, jealousy is such an ugly emotion~ Don't let it turn a beautiful woman like yourself into an ugly hag, now." The raven countered with ease.

Bristling at the comment, Namie opened her mouth to retort, but was silenced by a ring tone. Relieved to have found an excuse to distract himself from the situation, Shizuo fished around in his pocket for his cell phone. Grasping it in his hand, he checked the collar ID and nearly dropped his phone in shock. Flipping it open, he pressed the answer button, and spoke.

"Kasuka?"

A large, almost hesitant smile formed across the blond's face at the voice of his younger brother. His voice was soft and monotone as usual, but the mere sound of it caused the older brother to swell a bit.

"It's been a while."

"You're in town right now?"

"No, I'm free."

"Alright, that's fine. What time?"

"Right now? Yeah, that's fine, I'll meet you there."

"Bye."

Listening to the one sided conversation with mild interest, Izaya tilted his head in wonder, gazing at the debt collector in question.

Ignoring the stare, Shizuo was elated. He knew he was a bit awkward with his words, but he really did want to see his brother. It had been so long . . . Kasuka had gone abroad to film a movie. The two siblings hadn't talked in nearly a year. This movie was supposed to be very important. He was working with a famous and highly successful director and so when he was asked to play the lead character in the movie, Kasuka had accepted. Now his younger brother who had been gone for so long was taking the time to actually surprise visit Shizuo. It was amazing.

Eager to have found a reason to escape from his strange new hair dresser and overcome with happiness to have the opportunity to pay his little brother a visit, Shizuo pocketed his phone.

"Gotta go?" Izaya inquired, nosily. His question earned a nod from the debt collector.

"Yeah. We're done, right?" Shizuo asked, looking towards him, waiting for an answer.

Clicking his tongue, Izaya shrugged. "Well, you already paid, so that depends~ Are you satisfied?"

Shizuo faltered in his tracks, pausing his motions of undoing the hair apron from around his form. He froze. Did this guy really need another ego trip? He shot a quick side view at the mirror from the corner of his eye and quickly checked out his hair. He had to admit . . ., Izaya was a good hair stylist, and . . . Izaya had been able to gauge Shizuo's attention the entire time, and keep him away from an awkward silence that the blond had been sure would come at first. Regardless of these thoughts, Shizuo wouldn't allow the raven to know this. But then again . . . if Shizuo were to lie, then most likely, Izaya wouldn't give up until he could convince him differently.

With a begrudging sigh and a limp shrug of his shoulders, Shizuo mumbled out a response. "S'not . . . too bad."

Blinking, a grin soon stretched ear to ear, crimson irises seeming to gleam in the light. "Well of course~ It was I who did it after all." Izaya cheekily responded, only to be smacked by his boss. "Aha! Well don't be late and please come again~"

Shizuo rolled his eyes at the overly confident attitude the raven had displayed, before muttering a gruff good bye and making his way out of the salon. On his way out the door however, a chipper voice spoke up, breaking the blonde's movement.

"HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND, SHIZU-CHAN!"

Face red in embarrassment, Shizuo nearly fell over in shock.

"HE'S MY BROTHER, FLEA!"

Slamming the salon door behind him, Shizuo took pleasure in the site of the obnoxious hair dresser getting decked by his boss on his way past the window. 'What a crazy place . . .,' was the last thought that entered Shizuo's mind, before he continued on his way. His brother was here and Shizuo was not about to make him wait.

**A.N.- Ah, finally done! :D -is feeling so accomplished- xD So next chapter things are gonna get moving, so stay alert~ It will most likely be way better than this one way (seeing as it was just a continuation of their meeting from the first chapter).**

**Thanks everyone for reading! Reviews are my motivation~ **


	3. Boyfriend

Two is Better than One

Chapter 3: Boyfriend

-Slayers64

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**Disclaimer: Still not mine ;_;**

**Warning: Shikizaya ahead! (Don't like don't read! - This fic does have multiple parings, although the last and final paring will be shizaya). **

**And lastly, now the rating will be upped to T~ (M won't come for a while).**

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**-Izaya's P.O.V. **_**(Two Days Later)-**_

"Ahnn . . ." Izaya moaned, pushing himself up against the white suited chest before him, as he kissed the man passionately. Swiping his tongue along the inside of the man's mouth, Izaya savored the taste of wonderfully bitter coffee, along with reluctantly tasting the sour and poignant taste of cigarettes. The older man kissed back almost lazily, as if he wasn't quite in the mood, which only seemed to fuel the raven's determination. Leisurely wrapping his legs around the man and straddling his waist, Izaya allowed himself to fall more into the position, but before he could do more, a sharp bite of warning was delivered to his tongue, making him stop instantly, and pull away with a grimace. Wincing, Izaya pressed his palms against the man's shoulders.

"Shiki-saaaan! That huuuurt!" He whined loudly, glaring daggers at the man. Sighing, Shiki brought a hand up to brush back his bangs in annoyance. "Orihara-san . . . _please_ get off." His face was laced in irritation. Like any other day, however, Izaya merely grinned cheekily. "Awww, common now, Shiki-san! Just one more kiss? Pleeeease?" He put on his best sultry look of pleading, as he gazed into the suited man's dark eyes.

Izaya couldn't help being needy. His boyfriend was never in the mood and the few times that Izaya did manage to get a simple kiss, Shiki didn't seem to be that into it. Well, despite the term "boyfriend", Shiki and Izaya . . . didn't really date. It was simply the easiest term to place their relationship under. There simply wasn't any other label that came to mind, really. It had been so long since the two had had sex, and frankly, Izaya was at his wits end. Masturbating and taking cold showers every night was not something he exactly took pride in.

Izaya sat, situated on the man's lap, his legs wrapped around his boyfriend's, as he pushed him further into the lush, white couch cushions of the living room. Behind them was a flat screen TV and a glass coffee table. The carpet was pure and spotless, the walls painted in a creamy white with a tinge of yellow. Famous paintings hung, giving the room more color, along with the scent of air freshener, to mask the scent of cigarettes. Shiki had always taken great pride in his place, and it just so happened to be an even better home than Izaya had, which was indeed, saying something, since Izaya's parents definitely had money. It was one of many things that Izaya had grown to admire about the man.

"Orihara-san. I'll say this one more time. _Please_ get off of-"

A blunt ring tone cut into the older man's sentence.

"Ah . . ., that would be me." Fishing around in his pocket, Izaya pulled out his cell phone, his gaze never leaving Shiki's. Flipping out the screen, Izaya finally allowed his eyes to fade away from Shiki's and to the phone in his hands. His vision quickly tracing over the contents of the message, Izaya soon sighed heavily.

Earning a look from the suited man beneath him, who was dressed in his usual white suit, black undershirt get up, Izaya waved away the look.

"Just a minute, let me reply to this text."

It was from Kururi, his little sister. It read:

[[Iza-nii~ time to come home]] The text read and although it was a big annoyance to be interrupted during such a time, Izaya merely held his breath and typed up a response. He'd learned long ago never to ignore his sister's texts. **It was a mistake he would never make again. . .**

[[I'm busy. Is it important?]]

[[Mom and Dad are home. They said they need to talk to you; it's important.]]

[[Alright, what do they need? Maybe I can do it from here.]]

The instant responses suddenly came to a halt. Izaya waited a while and when no reply was made, he texted her back.

[[Kururi? You there?]]

[[They're leaving again . . .]] The response was finally made, making the hair dresser tense up.

[[I'm on my way.]]

**Quick A.N. - I was a little confused about this at first as well, but apparently with Mairu and Kururi, their normal personalities are switched in chat. Kururi= hyper one and Mairu= quiet one. Kay, just wanted to clear that up).**

Sending the text, Izaya closed the screen and pocketed the phone. Looking back up to Shiki, Izaya forced a playful smile onto his face.

"I gotta go home. Sorry to cut our little meet short, Shiki-san~ I'll be taking that kiss now." Leaning forwards, Izaya pressed his lips softly against the dark haired man's lips, before pulling away.

Smiling, he backed up, out of his lap, and turned away. As he was about to put a foot forwards, a hand came up and stopped him.

"Orihara," the honorific was dropped, as the scrutinizing gaze of the wiser of the two, washed over the teen.

"I'll drive you."

These simple words brought a rather small, but genuine smile to Izaya's face.

"Very well then, I'll accept your kindness."

Izaya answered, nodding at the man. He should've known . . . If anyone were to see though his masks, then of course it would have to be Shiki. Izaya had known the man for more than half of his life, after all. He could run and lie all he wanted, but the bitter truth of the matter was . . . Shiki was here from the start.

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**-A.N. - I know this chapter is short and I was gonna make it longer, but I think instead I will have shorter chapters, but faster updates. So this chapter is mostly a filler, but it does hint at what is to come. Hope you guys enjoyed even if it caught you off guard (most likely). xD  
**


	4. The reunion of brothers

Two is better than one

Chapter 4: The reunion

-slayers64

**Disclaimer: Meh . . .**

**A.N.- Just a little heads up, the scene with Shiki and Izaya last chapter was two days after the hair appointment, while this chapter is going back to the day of the appointment, after Shizuo left.**

**P.S. - I think this is sort of a first for me with writing Kasuka, and he's really hard to write I've found out! O.O But I tried my best, so you guys tell me what you think~**

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**-Shizuo's P.O.V. (After hair appointment) – **

_Meet at the old café Mom and Dad used to take us. _No address was necessary, Shizuo knew exactly where to go. He'd always been rather fond of the place, especially the sweets. Shizuo was happy to know that they would be paying a visit there, although a little embarrassed, knowing that his brother had probably thought of the place, based on the knowledge that Shizuo loved those sweets.

Shaking his head, Shizuo allowed his honey colored eyes to scan the area around him. Recognition shortly beamed in his eyes, as he spotted the body frame of his younger brother. '_Kasuka.'_ Grinning widely, the blond headed towards the entrance to the café, and opened the door. The lively sound of bells rang, signifying the arrival of a potential customer. Looking to the right, where his brother sat at the first table, Shizuo put up a lone hand in a silent "hello."

A slight, almost unnoticeable nod of the head, greeted the blond in reply. Standing up from the table he was at, Kasuka made his way towards the blond, with a quiet grace in his step.

"Nii-san." Dark brown tresses fell into the younger brother's eyes, as chocolate met with honey. As usual the younger sibling's face was devoid of any emotion whatsoever, appearing as an endless pool of nothingness, but Shizuo knew better. This was his little brother after all, if he couldn't see the smile dancing behind his brother's eyes, then what sort of brother would that make him?

Pulling out his wallet, Kasuka began to take out some bills, when Shizuo stopped him with a firm hold of his wrist. Looking upwards expectantly, Kasuka's gaze bore into the blonde's own. Face reddening slightly from the quickness of his actions, Shizuo mumbled under his breath, and pulled out his own wallet.

Nodding, Kasuka seemed to understand the hidden message, and stowed his wallet back into his pants pocket. It didn't matter if Kasuka was loaded or not, Shizuo would not allow his little brother to pay for them both, when that was rightfully his responsibility as the older sibling, . . . at least in his eyes it was. Not questioning his motives, something that Shizuo was grateful for, the two siblings made their way up to the front counter.

Looking over the menu and specials, Shizuo and Kasuka quickly ordered, and Shizuo handed the cashier the money. Once his change was given back, the two reclaimed their seats by the door and awaited their food.

"So . . . how was working on your movie?" Shizuo asked to break the ice, nervously scratching behind his head.

"Pleasant, we had to work a lot, but the plot is good." Kasuka answered, easily.

Shizuo nodded, appreciatively. "That's good. I'm happy that you enjoyed your time. So uh, . . . what would you like to do after we're done with our food here?"

"Just go to the shops." His brother's mellow voice contrasted greatly with the on rising rush of customers, suddenly filing into the café. It made the former bartender feel just a tad bit claustrophobic and he felt himself unconsciously clenching the seats.

"Shizuo Heiwajima?" A voice called out, two drinks situated in small hands. Shizuo looked up at his name being called. Rising stiffly to his feet, he made his way to the woman, waving a hand in recognition. Her eyes shone brightly as she offered a smile and handed him the two drinks.

"Here you are, Sir~ Your food will be done momentarily!" The waitress bounded off to somewhere behind the counter.

'Must be new here . . .' Shizuo's train of thought trailed off. Of course, if she had recognized him, she wouldn't be nearly as friendly. Pushing through a cluster of people, Shizuo made his way back to the table. Setting the drinks down, he leaned back in the chair and took a sip of his drink. Kasuka did the same, declining his head in appreciation.

The two talked and drank quietly for a while, before their food was finished, and Shizuo was forced once again to break away from the table.

"Be right back." Leaving the table, the older Heiwajima sibling strode up to the counter and brought the steaming food back, setting it down before them.

_Things were . . . casual._ Something that Shizuo Heiwajima could be thankful for. He was never much of a talker, his little brother, even worse so. Easy environments like this, when all that was needed, was to eat, drink, and add a few words in every so often, it was actually quite . . . calming, for lack of a better word.

"How is your job going?" Kasuka asked bluntly, cutting through these thoughts.

"Ah?"

'_Job? Doesn't he mean . . ., ah, never mind, of course I didn't tell him that.' _

"Oh well, working with Tom-san has always been rather pleasant. It's nice to have someone around who's always so accepting . . . Ya know?" Shizuo asked, scratching his head shyly.

Shizuo knew he had anger management issues. He knew he wasn't the easiest person to get along with, or how he often times went overboard with even the littlest of things, and he also knew worst of all, that deep down inside, he really didn't live up to anything good. _He was a failure._ It was a hard and simple truth; he knew this better than anyone else, so when Tom had approached him all those years ago with a job offer, Shizuo had for the first time, felt something akin to that of "pride". He may be a complete and utter screw up in life, but it warmed his heart to realize that at least one person in his life, just one, truly believed in him. Tom had been there for him and supported him through so much in silence, and Shizuo . . . had to admit that sometimes believing a lie was better than facing the truth. Because with Tom around . . ., it was easy to forget his problems; just lounging back and trusting in the idea that maybe he wasn't a complete failure, maybe he was destined for greater things. It gave Shizuo hope to realize he had someone like that, and if he took a break to think about it, hell he could be happy for much more than just Tom, especially when he had both Kasuka, as well as Celty in his life.

"Nii-san."

The sudden intrusion of thoughts left the blond disorientated, as he tried to remember what his brother had asked.

"I'm done eating. If you're also done, then maybe we can go out now?"

Kasuka's face did not change even at the request that they leave. As always, his emotions lay hidden. A surprised look took over the features of the mocha eyed debt collector, as he glanced down to look at his barely touched foot. Looking guilty, he took a few quick bites of his food, and gulped down the rest of his milk.

"Yeah, let's get going."

* * *

Shizuo and Kasuka walked down the streets of Ikebukuro, making small talk, and dipping into the occasional shop or two. Quite frequently, fans of Kasuka would spot the actor and try to approach, squealing about how long it had been since they'd seen the young actor publicly, but their plans were quickly intercepted by a nerve racking look from the blond at every time. For the most part, Shizuo was fairly calm, but every so often, they would stop so that the blond could take a quick cigarette break. Despite the rare speech that transpired between the two, Shizuo was extremely satisfied. He loved hanging out with his brother, but unfortunately, it was a luxury he often times couldn't afford.

"How has Miss Celty been?" Kasuka asked out of the blue.

A disappointed look crossed Shizuo's face as he answered. "Celty quit. I have a new hair stylist now."

Not even a flicker of emotion passed the younger Heiwajima's face, as he nodded. "Do you like this new one?"

Shizuo nearly snorted.

" ."

"Why not?"

Shizuo hesitated. Okay, maybe he had exaggerated that statement just a bit. Really, Izaya wasn't that bad a guy. Besides, he had just met him today, so he shouldn't be one to judge so harshly . . ., especially being the type of person he was. Regardless . . .

"He's a dick."

A young woman passing by frowned at the language and with a glare sent to the blond, covered her child's ears. Shizuo rolled his eyes.

"What makes you say that?"

"He-!" Shizuo stopped and blushed, his brother taking note.

"Your face is red . . ." This comment only seemed to escalate things, as the blond turned his head downwards, covering his face, but his ears were painted a cherry red.

"He . . . came on to me . . .," Shizuo faltered, before quickly adding on, "and not only that, but he did it just to make things awkward for me!"

All was silent. Shizuo sneaked a peek between his fingers, gauging his brother's reaction. Kasuka seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes hollow. After an awkward silence, Kasuka spoke up.

"So you're angry because you liked it."

"No!" The reaction was almost too fast, earning a look from the brown haired male. Shizuo mentally berated himself. 'Nice Shizuo, because Kasuka is totally gonna buy that now.'

"I mean, don't jump to conclusions! He's not even my type!" Fussing loudly, the blond earned a few looks from random passer bys.

"So you have a type?" Kasuka raised an eyebrow skeptically, the only show of emotion on his face.

Shizuo was sure his face was as red as a cherry by now.

Of course when you word it like that, someone might get the wrong idea. Really though, Shizuo was not at all attracted to the raven in that sort of way; they'd just met, after all!

"No! Dammit Kasuka, what's with you?! Why are you twisting my words around?"

"I merely wish for you to be happy."

"And you're saying that this random stranger I just met today is going to do that?" Shizuo blanched at the idea. The two had long since stopped their occasional look ins of shops, and had instead invested their time in walking and talking, just catching up, really. For a while neither said a word, both brothers lost in their individual thoughts. Until . . .

"It's possible." Kasuka answered seriously.

"Besides . . ., if you met him, then he's no longer a stranger, correct?" He continued, straight faced as always.

Shizuo blinked. He never thought he'd say this once in his life, but . . .

"You're crazy."

"It's possible."

" . . ." Shizuo turned away.

'_What an awkward reunion,'_ were the last thoughts to pass through his mind.

* * *

**A.N.- Okay so there are two main reasons why I didn't update earlier this time (not that this update was that late tbh), but the reasons are I kinda got a little down for a while, and also Kasuka was just a BITCH to write! My God, never again! . . . at least not any time soon. So yeah, this is sort of a filler chapter with some preordained thoughts of Kasuka's~ but I hope you all enjoy anyways! **

**P.S.- Thank you all for the continued support! It means a lot :)  
**

**R&R! (For my motivation!)**


	5. A little help here?

Two is Better than One

Chapter 5: A little help here?

-slayers64

**A.N.- Celty will make a short appearance this chapter, and just to remind you all****, she does possess her head in this fic **

**P.S.- Thanks for all the love! I love you guys! Now on with the chapter! :o**

* * *

**-Shizuo's POV-**

**Location: home**

**Time: early morning**

Slumped over his couch in an informal fashion, Shizuo Heiwajima yawned, his fingers clicking random buttons on his TV remote, as he watched the screen change with little interest apparent. He was bored. It had been an entire week since he'd hung out with his brother, and as was per usual, the younger Heiwajima was already swarmed with crazy fans. It was probably a good thing Shizuo had hung out with his brother when he did, otherwise everyone would've known he was back.

Grumbling under his breath, Shizuo made his way to the kitchen, his bare feet passing lazily into the room. 'I need food,' was the only thought on his mind, as he headed for his refrigerator. Before he could make it there though, a sharp ringing went through his phone. Following the sound of ringing, Shizuo left the kitchen and filed into the living room, before catching his cell phone from the corner of his eye, ringing on his coffee table.

Trudging over, tired eyes blurred at the screen, as the device was flipped open, and mocha scanned over the collar ID.

'Shinra, huh?'

Clicking the answer button, Shizuo put the phone to his ear and walked back over to the kitchen.

"Hello? Shizuo?" The doctor's voice spoke up through the transceiver.

"Sup?" He responded lazily, heading to his cabinets and pulling out a cup.

"Ah, I'm glad you picked up! I have a favor ask of you," the energetic doctor replied, earning a skeptical look at his phone on the blonde's end.

"What _sort_ of favor?" Shizuo Heiwajima was no fool. Any favor from this quack doctor was just _asking_ for trouble. He knew that from experience.

Shinra sighed over the phone.

"Shizuoooo! Don't say it like that! You make me feel bad . . ., as if you don't trust me!" Shinra whined, childishly.

Shizuo rolled his eyes in response.

"Shinra, get to the point. What do you need?" Shizuo prompted, grabbing a carton of milk out of the fridge and pouring a glass.

Fumbling was heard on the other end, before a reply was heard.

"Well . . ., Celty as you know quit. The reason being . . ., we're moving."

Shizuo nearly spit out the milk he was drinking at the comment.

"Y-you were serious then?!"

"Yeah. If possible, we'd like you to come over and help us with the move; ya know move stuff to the new apartment and unpack? That sort of thing," Shinra answered, sheepishly.

Shizuo took his glass of milk and sipped it in thought. Shinra may be a total weirdo, but the truth of the matter was, he was a friend of Shizuo's, and so was Celty. If the timing didn't interfere with his work, then maybe doing the two a favor wouldn't be so bad. They'd be able to catch up on old times.

Shizuo smiled.

"Yeah, I don't mind helping out."

"Great! Thanks a lot, Shizuo. How's this Saturday near 10ish?" The underground doctor sounded highly relieved.

"Sure, that's just fine. See you then."

A similar reply was voiced back as the line went dead.

* * *

**-Shinra's POV- **

**(Friday night)**

"Noooooooo! This isn't good!" The underground doctor shrieked exaggeratedly, his hands clutching his head in stress, as he paced the living room floor, a sudden thought striking him.

He continued to stress and make sufferable noises, spinning on his heel every so often as he paced back and forth. Celty merely ignored the man, used to his typical ways, as she continued to focus intently on the movie playing on the TV screen.

However . . ., as the man continued to fuss about, it began to take its toll. Celty Sturluson was in no way an impatient woman, but admitting the bespectacled man of whom she lived with, was not a hassle to deal with, would be a very obvious lie. As the voice of her boyfriend rose, Celty snapped.

"Shinra!"

"Huh?!" The dark haired man froze, snapped out of his own thoughts, as his attention turned to his beloved girlfriend stationed on the couch.

"Why are you pacing?" The blue eyed woman asked, her tone obviously annoyed.

Shinra looked sheepish.

"Um, well you see Celty dear . . ., I uh . . . I um . . ., kinda, sort of . . ., forgot to get someone to help out with the move." Shinra bowed his head, shamefully, too disappointed in himself to meet Celty in the eyes.

Everything was silent, before the woman stood up, her coppery hair shielding her expression from view.

"You're unpacking yourself," and with that, the silently irritate brunette walked out of the room.

"Celty, noooooooooo! Don't go! I'll handle it, don't worry about it~" Shinra begged, but said woman had already left the room. Sighing, he frowned.

'Who should I call? Waaaah, if I don't find someone to help out, Celty will stay mad.' Shinra whined in his head. Suddenly a name popped into his head and the doctor sighed in relief.

Dragging his phone out of the confines of his lab coat, Shinra speed dialed the number of a close friend of his. His foot tapped against the floor as he eagerly waited for his friend to pick up. It may be late, so knowing him, he would still be up. The guy was sort of a night owl after all.

"Shinra . . . Do you know what time it is?" The voice on the other end asked. The tone wasn't angry however, more like . . . blank.

The brunette gave a laugh at the response.

"Haha! Awe, don't be like that! I knew you'd be up." Shinra replied, grinning widely.

Unknowingly to Shinra Kishitani, the raven had _not_ been up. He'd actually been enjoying his sleeping time, after a long day. The only reason he had picked up the phone so fast was due to his light sleeping.

"Yeah sure, because that totally makes it right to call me so late at night." Izaya responded as he waited for the doctor to get to the point of the phone call.

"Ahaha! Well you see, I couldn't help it . . . Celty would've been mad at me if I hadn't called someone, otherwise." Shinra spoke, as if he were genuinely sorry. He knew for a fact though, that he wasn't tricking the raven in the slightest.

"Whatever, Shinra. What is it that you need?" The voice on the other end asked, moodily.

'Ah, he must be upset about something . . .,' Shinra acknowledged. He faltered, wondering what to say, before deciding to go with his original plan. If Izaya wanted to confide in him, then Shinra trusted he would.

"Uh well you see, Celty and I are getting ready for that move soon . . ., so we, or rather I, was wondering if you could help us out tomorrow."

At the conclusion of his request, a deep sigh was heard from the other line.

"Shinra . . ., you're always so last minute."

"Ah! Does that mean you won't help?" He replied worriedly, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"No . . ., I'll help out."

"Great; thanks a lot, Izaya! How's Saturday near 12:00?"

"That's fine. See you then."

Before the man could reply back, the line went dead.

'Ah . . . a quiet Izaya is never a good one.'

Standing alone in the living room, phone in hand, Shinra couldn't help but to frown

* * *

-**Izaya's POV-**

(**Saturday)**

The noisy sound of an alarm went off, resonating throughout the colorless bedroom, combined with the glare of the sun, streaming in like a missile from the curtains. An eye twitched in its ill disguised sleeping gesture, feigning sleep, as an arm lazily folded across the pale skinned features of a familiar face. Sleep was futile. He knew that and yet he couldn't bring himself to awaken fully, and so with this stubborn action in mind, carmine eyes refused to open to the world, locked tightly within the lids of failing darkness. The alarm clock continued to ring incessantly in the back ground, yet all the man could seem to find energy to do, was to flinch away from the sound, and to clasp his hands firmly over his sensitive ears, as he rolled over to avoid the light.

Breathing became ragged with agitation, as he tried in vain to keep out the living world; reality. Digging his hands into his hair, he tugged, strands of raven hair escaping between his fingertips. This was all for nothing. He would have to eventually get up and bid away his dreamless sleep; and so with this thought in mind, his breathing was forced to calm. Slowly, his hands unfurled from the fists they found themselves as against his hair, and his eyes slit open. Foggy; everything was foggy. His body inched lazily back, his head being thrown back gently, as he was forced to a sitting position, leaning his body weight on his knees.

With one last breath, bare legs found themselves slung over the side of the bed. A hand came down on the alarm and everything was silent. The curtains opened and more light streamed in. A new found hesitation was involved, as carmine orbs unexpectedly laid seize on two photographs situated together on a desk nearby. Body numb, they took in the site, converting to memory. _Mom, Dad;_ and the other: three siblings together in one room. The first photo was frowned upon. The woman's long dark hair was pinned up into a neat bun, her husband's arm around her shoulders, as they smiled, sweetly. Onto the second photo, showed the three siblings; Izaya in the center, an audible frown on his face, as his eyes rolled to the side, two palms holding onto two very similar, yet very different people. Despite the annoyance very obviously present, the closeness was obvious, as the two twins made faces at the camera. The holder of the photographs could visibly remember the scene. Clenching a fist around the first photo, a small smile was forced dully onto his façade. Without another thought, the first was placed face down onto the desk, as the other was situated carefully in an upright manner.

Spinning on his heel, Izaya Orihara made his way to the shared bedroom of the second picture's inhabitants. All too soon he reached the door and quietly stepped in. Two lumps appeared on the bed, as if folding into one another, hands interlocked. One step lead to another, as the raven reached the bed and sat down beside the two. Slowly, agonizingly so, his left palm made itself known upon the braided twin's bangs. Pushing them back he whispered their names. Not even a flicker of acknowledgement was given, as he continued.

"I'm going to Shinra's house. If you need anything, just call. Shiki will check up on you two, shortly." Without so much as a good bye, the raven left the room, and continued his business.

Getting dressed and putting on new clothes, continuing by morning routine, he paused before leaving the house, entirely. Taking a notebook and a pen off of the counter, he folded the pages back and left a note.

_[I'll be back.]_

* * *

**-Shizuo's POV-**

**(Saturday)**

"Alright Shinra, I finished the first task you wanted me to do, so what's next?" Walking into the kitchen, Shizuo leaned against the counter top of the new apartment's kitchen, his arms empty, and folded against himself. The sentence had stumbled past his lips with ease, no sign of annoyance or resentment was present in its tone.

"Ah, thanks, Shizuo! Would you mind helping me bring the couch in?" Shinra called from the outskirts of the other room, walking in to motion in the direction he wanted it placed at. Shizuo nodded curtly. Getting up from his laid back posture, he followed the man into the adjoining room, pacing evenly.

It had been like this since 10:20 that morning; Shizuo just helping out with mediocre tasks, well in his eyes they were mediocre. He knew it was a big help to the couple living here and he didn't seem to mind as he slipped into things. He had the weekend off and seeing as how he was used to waking up early anyway, the blond had awoken at his regular work time. It was no big, really. The two had been working since he got there and it was now almost 12:00. Celty was surprisingly still asleep; something about her having a rough day at work the other day, and needing some more sleep. Shizuo was a little disappointed in all honesty. Here he had thought that he would finally be able to catch up with his old friend again, but unfortunally she was still asleep, leaving him with little conversational efforts, minus himself, and the chatterbox; Shinra. It wasn't all that bad, though. Shinra may be a pest and a hassle to deal with, but they were still friends. The new apartment was nice as well, which served as some distraction. It really wasn't as far away as Shizuo had first assumed; far enough to back up Celty's quitting, but not so far that it was going out of his way to help out with this project.

As Shizuo stretched his arms in preparation, Shinra signified where exactly the couch would be going again. Nodding, Shizuo began his pace for the front door, where the couch was situated outside. As he turned the corner, with Shinra following dutifully behind, Shizuo soon came upon the grey colored couch exactly where they had left it. They had kept it outside, seeing as how Shinra wasn't 100% sure on where he had wanted it at the time, and he didn't want it to get in the way of their sorting. Now sure, Shizuo went on one side of the couch and lifted, Shinra hurrying along to grab the other end.

Hoisting the heavy furniture into the air, Shinra gasped at the weight. "My God, this is heavy!"

Shizuo snorted at the comment. "Weakling."

"I am not! This is heavy!" Shinra retorted back with a glare.

"Not when I'm supporting half the weight," Shizuo challenged, as they moved the couch back into the room, Shinra carefully monitoring his steps with each step, backwards. Shizuo could sense the other man's trembling from the effort and held in the urge to roll his eyes. Opening his mouth, Shizuo complained to his friend, "You're pathe-", only to get cut off midsentence.

"Neh, Shinra, sorry I'm a little late~" A familiar voice purred, causing the blond to tense and swing his head in the direction of said voice, nearly dropping the lifted couch onto the bespectacled man's feet in the process.

"Gah! Shizuo!" Shinra yelped, dodging his feet out of the way as he curled into himself in fright.

"Hm, Shizuo?" The raven haired visitor opened his eyes in a curious gesture, as they raked over the form before him.

"Ah!" Both men began, before pointing a finger at one another.

"Hey, it's you!"

Grinning, Izaya was about to make a witty comment, before being completely disregarded, as the blond fired his attention towards the white outfitted man instead.

"Shinra! You didn't tell me _he_ was coming!" Shizuo bit out, a bit too exaggerated.

Izaya frowned. "My, Shizu-chan~ I'm not that bad, am I? And here I thought I made a good first impression on you . . ."

"Ah well, you see! I um . . . I was so worried that we wouldn't have anyone helping out with the move, that I must've forgotten I had already asked you to help out, Shizuo. I'm sorry Izaya!" Shinra bowed, apologetically.

Izaya merely waved him off in response. "I'm already here, may as well help out."

"Ah, really? That's mighty responsible of you, Izaya." Shinra smiled easily up at the russet eyed man.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I am very responsible," he pouted, his bottom lip jutting out, childishly.

"Ahaha! Maybe sometimes . . ." Shinra chuckled, lightheartedly.

"You doubt me?" Izaya frowned.

Shizuo was annoyed. He didn't think he'd see this guy again so soon! Now he had a feeling that Izaya would do nothing but harass him and flirt with him throughout the entire rest of the day. Although he's been wrong before, this time he had a hunch that his guess would serve right. Sighing, he diverted their attention back to the task at hand.

"Shinra, we still have to get the couch in . . ."

Izaya seemed to perk up at this, as his attention was drawn towards the blonde.

"Aha! You're funny if you think Shinra will be able to help . . . Why don't you let me get the other end instead?" Izaya proposed, as he lightly pushed the brunette out of the way, and took his place.

Shizuo grumbled slightly, but nodded, reluctantly. _At least they were on topic now._

"Fine."

And with that said, the two hoisted the couch up and began the tedious trek into the living room. All the way there, curses and whines were heard.

"Owe! That was my back! Turn it to the right a little, will you?!"

"Fuck! Move your ass!"

"_No_! YOU slow down!"

"Uh guys . . . you'll wake Celty up . . ."

"Maybe if you didn't complain so much and actually focused on the task at hand, then I wouldn't _have_ to slow down!"

"Ahaha! But that's what Shizu-chan is for! Doing all the hard work~"

"I'm not your slave!"

"That's not what you said last night."

"FUCK YOU!"

"Oh my Shizu-chan~ _Somebody's_ horny. Please control your urges! I know I'm hot and all, but we just recently met . . ."

"Uh . . . guys? That's . . . kinda gay."

"Awe~ Is Shinra jealous? If you wanted to join, you should've just said so!"

"You're a freak, Flea."

"A freak in bed." Izaya winked, teasingly.

The conversation went on this way for quite a while, as the three finished moving the couch about, and begrudgingly set about on other tasks, teaming up among some; rearranging furniture, setting up paintings and photos, filling the fridge, taking things apart, putting them back together . . ., It was all a lot of work. In fact, they'd already agreed somewhere along in their conversation to continue helping out for however many days it took to get everything situated.

Finally after hours of hard work, Shinra collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. "Ah, I'm so glad I have you two around to help! That was a lot of work! I don't know what I'd do without you both~"

The two helpers frowned in unison. "We did all the hard work."

Shinra merely waved the two off. "Ah, you know what? I'm really hungry. What about you guys?"

"Same here! Got anything good to eat?" Izaya inquired, leaning against a wall.

"Uh, you can check the fridge."

Izaya nodded and with a curious blond shadow behind him, began searching through the fridge and cabinets. Frowning, his vermillion eyes narrowed.

"Shinra! You don't have ANYTHING in your fridge!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Sure we do!"

"Not anything GOOD!"

Shizuo sighed. This guy was so troublesome. Plus there was plenty to eat, and it wasn't like the food was that bad, either. He shook his head.

"Forget this! Shizu-chan and I will just go out and bring back some food~"

"Wait! Huh?! Don't I get a say in this?" Shizuo sputtered, caught off guard.

"Nope~ Come on Shizu-chan!" Izaya purred, grabbing onto the blonde's arm, only to be shrugged off.

"It okay with you Shinra if we go out and bring back something to eat?" Izaya asked, ignoring the irate debt collector's shoulder.

Shinra waved them on, albeit awkwardly. It wasn't hard to tell that the man was at a loss of words. Without another thought being wasted on the moment, Shizuo was eagerly pulled towards the door, as the two left a very surprised Shinra behind. Shizuo could've sworn he heard something along the lines of, "my food isn't that bad . . .," before being ushered out the door.

"Flea . . . I'm over the fact that you dragged me out here with you, but where exactly are we going?" The frustrated blond asked. It felt as if they had been walking forever, and the raven haired man had yet to specify their destination. Shizuo's fingers were itching for a smoke, but he'd forgotten his lighter at Shinra's place. This whole "let's go pick up something to eat" task was starting to feel like a total goose chase . . .

"Not to worry, Shizu-chan! We're almost there," Shizuo's companion called over his shoulder, leading the way with a skip in his step. The man really did attract stares and it was rather embarrassing being seen with him.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago . . .," Shizuo grumbled under his breath, earning a breathy laugh from the hair dresser.

"No really! This time I'm not lying; it's right around the corner!" Izaya defended, speeding up his gait. As Shizuo sped up to match the fast trek of the raven man, Izaya finally pointed out their destination. The site caused Shizuo to stop, abruptly. This was . . .

"I've been here before."

"Hm? Really?" A curious bob of the head was sent his way, from the raven's position.

"Yeah, with my brothers and . . . with our parents when were younger," Shizuo replied, following the dark shirted male into the café.

"Is that so? What do you normally get then?"

"I like the sweets here."

Izaya seemed to falter a bit.

"I was talking about regular food, not sweets!"

Shizuo shrugged. "That's all I get . . ."

This answer had a similar reaction as the first, as Izaya merely sighed to himself. "Then maybe I should order, hm?"

With that said and a nod of approval from the blond, Izaya ordered the meal, and as an afterthought, upon watching the blonde's drooling face over a set of sugary cupcakes, ordered some of those as well. The process was short, as he pulled out his wallet and paid, going unnoticed by the mocha eyed man.

Getting the blonde's attention, Izaya pointed to the cupcakes in the bag. "Have you tried these before?"

Shizuo nodded enthusiastically. "They're great! Uh . . . did you buy them with your own money?"

Izaya shrugged. "Yeah, it's fine though. They look . . . sweet."

"They are."

"Ew."

Shizuo turned a bewildered eye to the man. "What do you mean "ew?" You haven't even tried them yet!"

Izaya blanched at the idea. "I don't like sweets . . ."

Before Shizuo could reply, Izaya's look darkened, mischievously.

"Ya know . . ., unless I'm eating them off of somebody, that is."

Within seconds, Shizuo's entire face had gone red.

"FLEA!"

Despite his embarrassment, Shizuo couldn't help but feel . . . content. It wasn't often that he felt this comfortable being around someone. It wasn't like he was opening up to Izaya or anything, but just the fact that he felt comfort in being with him, and didn't . . . mind the teasing so much; it was actually quite relieving.

As the two made their way back, laughs, taunts, and casual conversation was made, as they carried their bag of food out the door.

* * *

_**-Shinra's POV-**_

'_Where are they?_' Shinra wondered to himself in confusion. It had been a while since they left, and they still weren't back. Just as the man was about to text one of the two, voices were sounded down the hall, and he sighed in relief. 'Thought the food would never get here . . .'

Smiling to himself, he went out to greet the two men.

"We're back!" Izaya called, swinging the bag of food onto the counter, as he stepped around the bespectacled man. Shizuo grunted in reply.

"We brought some kind of sandwiches the flea picked out."

"Ah! And some cupcakes too, but Shizu-chan couldn't help himself and ate them all on the way here!" Izaya teased.

The two bickered back and forth for a moment over this, before Shinra coughed, earning both their attentions. Shinra was very confused. Izaya had always been the social type, but as for Shizuo? Complete opposite. It was unnerving to see them socializing so much. They were two completely different people after all . . .

But before he could voice his thoughts, Izaya had already begun taking out all of the food. With nothing more to say, the trio sat down together and enjoyed their meal.

_It was far from peaceful._

* * *

_**-After Meal-**_

"Fuck! I can't open this!" Shizuo complained, becoming frustrated with the box before him.

Izaya grinned, shaking his head. "I got it."

Before the blonde could question him further, Izaya swung out a switch blade from his pocket, and with close precision, began cutting open the box.

Shizuo stared.

"What do you need a knife for? Here I thought you were just some average, annoying guy. Is it just for show?" Truthfully when observing the raven, Shizuo didn't see in him the violent type. It was actually mildly surprising to see the man with such a weapon. Here Shizuo had thought he was just an annoying prick.

The raven grinned, expression darkening into something of a sadistic manner. Before Shizuo could so much as gasp, the cold blade of the knife was pressed against his throat within seconds, as an eerily quiet voice whispered inches from his ear.

"I don't play with my knives . . ."

Eyes dilating from both anger and surprise, Shizuo pushed the man away.

"Don't you EVER point a knife at me, EVER again!" He growled, his voice suddenly thunderous, as his temper began to rise. A highly amused chuckle was sounded from the other man in response.

"Somebody has a temper~ Easy now, I meant no harm. It was all an act~" Arms poised in a defensive manner, Shizuo held his breath. It wouldn't be good to get mad now. Shinra had left the two alone to simple sorting tasks and he didn't want to screw that up. If he lost his temper now, then all their hard work would be for nothing.

Letting his back hit the wall, Shizuo closed his mocha eyes and reopened them, to see Izaya sorting through the box he had opened, his knife now laying closed on the floor.

"Neh, Shizu-chan? You never told me, how do you Shinra?"

"I met him through Celty. She used to be my old hair stylist and we're sort of good friends." Shizuo shrugged.

"Is that so . . .? I met Shinra because he works at my school." Izaya commented, explaining himself, although it was not called for.

This earned a curious look from the debt collector, mid sort.

"You're still in school?"

"Senior."

Shizuo nodded.

"Shinra works as the school nurse at my high school; although . . ., he's sort of a weirdo. Most kids hate going to him for that reason, but I don't know . . ., I don't really mind him. Shinra is actually probably my closest friend." Izaya explained, shrugging, lightly. "Is that strange to say?"

Shizuo mirrored the up and down motions of the teen's shoulders.

"I've never been the type to have many friends, myself, so . . . I don't find it strange. Out of curiosity though, how old are you?"

"Eighteen. You?"

"Ah, I'm twenty one."

The two continued this casual conversation, the earlier tense atmosphere melting away into a mellower one, as they finished up their tasks, before moving onto another one. As it got later and later, the conversation changed from a variety of topics.

"How long have you been a hair dresser?"

"Do you like anime?"

"What's your brother like?"

"You have twin sisters?"

"What's being a debt collector like?"

"Got any pets?"

"Do you have a favorite movie?"

The questions went on and on, fueling the two's working time, as they answered with ease. It was almost as if they were old friends catching up on things, rather than two strangers that had just so recently met. Despite spending most of the day helping out, the two were surprised as they looked at the time.

"Ah, it's getting late! I had no idea it was this time! Shit, I should've checked in with my sisters."

"Dang it is late. Are you gonna be okay getting home by yourself? I think I'll stay a little longer, otherwise."

Izaya nodded, waving the unspoken proposition off.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself. I have plenty of knives on me, plus I know parkour~"

Shizuo frowned.

"Cocky."

"Oh, I know! I'm just . . . full of it." At the end of this sentence, the raven's voice took on a seductive tone, catching the debt collector off guard. As the words meanings dawned on him, he blanched.

"You're sick."

"Aha! Glad you see it my way! Well I'll be on my way now. Tell Shinra I'm leaving, okay?" Fishing his phone out his pocket, Izaya texted a quick message to his sisters, no doubt.

At a nod from the blond, Izaya headed towards the door, pausing just slightly.

"Oh! Shizu-chan, nice seeing you again, by the way. It was a pleasure talking with you."

With a catty purr, the raven was out the door.

* * *

**-End chapter-**

**A.N.- Woah . . . okay so that was like . . . long as shit xD Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I REALLY got into it for some parts (like the scene where Izaya is getting ready to leave for Shinra's), while others I have to admit I got a bit lazy on, and am not so satisfied. Let me know your opinions regardless!**

**Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!  
**

**P.S.- Happy Halloween you guys! ^^**


	6. Your eyes say it all

TBTO

Chapter 6

-slayers64

**A.N.- Remember since Izaya is still in high school in this fic, the twins are also younger, so if they seem a little childish, that's the reason why. **

**P.S.- Please inform me if any of you feel that Shizuo/Izaya are ooc at all. Or anything else you think I can improve on  
**

* * *

**(Izaya's POV)**

It was early morning. The sky was dark, littered with stars. A sleeping body rested against a bed, covered in blankets. It was quiet, the only sounds being from distant cars, and sounds from outside, all twisting into the background. It was nothing noteworthy, and yet the noticeably softer, almost indiscernible pattern of foot falls in the hall way, instantly awoke the sleeping raven.

His ears perked up at the sound, coming out of his sleep fogged mind within seconds. Lying still on his side, he waited as the footsteps came closer. As they stopped before his door, his eyes were wide open, waiting for a knock. Hesitation was obvious, the feet turning several times, as if to walk away, before finally making up their mind, and staying put.

One knock was all that was given. Without another thought, Izaya slipped out of his bed, and strode to the door with ease. Undoing the lock, he opened the door. It was Kururi.

"Nii-san."

Her usually monotone voice was weighed down with a sense of numbness. He slid the door open, wider, and motioned her inwards. Closing the door, Izaya followed the path of his sister, slowly stopping at the bed, where he could see a faint outline of her body in the dark. Standing in front, he towered over her in height, as she sat on the bed, with her hands folded.

"What's up?"

He waited patiently for her to answer, realizing that it would be harder for her, than it would be with Mairu, since the two's personalities were decided long ago; hence the hesitation had become nothing short of routine and normality now.

Sensing a tremor from the brown haired girl, he sighed. Taking a seat on the bed, beside her, he awkwardly sat there, and waited.

"If you had the guts to come to me in the first place, then you can tell me what's wrong."

A sharp intake of breath was heard, as her body stiffened.

" ."

Her normally soft voice had taken on a shaky tone, giving way to anxiety. Even without clarifying, Izaya was clear on what she was referring to. _Mairu;_ she didn't want to lose her sister again. It was no secret that the two were close; they were practicably inseparable. Their parents were . . . good people, with good intentions, but they were never around, and it had created somewhat of a wall in their family. So the neglect Izaya was offered by his parents, had in a way become a part of him, when dealing with his sisters. He was never very good with people, he could easily admit to that. He was just an awkward person. He could fit into almost any group, but rarely did he ever feel himself able to just relax, and open up. He would also admit that he wasn't a very good person. He did bad things to people and so it wasn't a surprise when people hated him. That's just how things were.

An awkward silence took up the space, chocking them of comfort. Kururi shook, breathing in sharply, with anxious exhales.

"What . . . do . . .?"

_What should I do?_

"You don't have to do anything. I'll take care of it."

He meant it. He wouldn't allow things to progress like the last time. Memories of running through the night, heart thumping painfully against his ribcage, desperately searching, and searching, and searching, and searching, and searching, and searching, and searching-, that choking feeling of frustration, failure, and anxiety that had restrained him; he heaved a breath. He was so close. . . to losing the only family he cared about.

His mind became a whirling mess of thoughts, until the sudden hug from his sister broke his train of thought. Gasping in surprise, his eyes widened in the dark. Kururi's entire outline was shrouded; he couldn't even see her face. His arms hung limply at his side, as he awkwardly sat there, with her smaller arms wrapped around his torso. He felt her smaller body begin to rise and fall rapidly, as sobs emptied from her frame. He didn't cry. Finally lifting his arms up from his side, he pulled her close.

* * *

**(Shizuo's POV)**

It was a week later from when Shizuo and Izaya had previously met up at Shinra's to help out with the move. They had continued to stop by their friend's apartment as much as they could, until Shinra and Celty were comfortably settled into their new home; which wasn't much on Izaya's end, since the guy was in high school and all. Now that things were finished with, however, Shizuo was at the apartment once again, sitting on the doctor's couch, as Shinra attended to him.

"Ugh, Shinra. Do we really have to do this?" Shizuo complained, holding out his arm, as the doctor took his blood pressure. This was something that had sort of become a routine ever since the blond had met Shinra. The doctor had always had an odd sense of fascination with Shizuo's body, and so checkups were done every now and again, much to the chagrin of the blonde haired male.

"Maybe it would be best if you would just stop avoiding your appointments all together, Shizuo . . ." Shinra chastised, lightly.

"Whatever." The blonde nodded absently, as the doctor proclaimed his blood levels.

"Hey, no drawing blood this time." Shizuo warned, as he saw the doctor riffle through some things. He dejectedly drew his hand away. Shizuo rolled his eyes. 'I knew it.'

The white outfitted man let out a sigh. "Alright, well I guess we're all good for now. You're plenty healthy, so nothing to worry about."

Shizuo nodded, getting up to leave.

"Ah! Wait, Shizuo, can you do me a favor?" Shinra asked, stopping the blonde.

"Hm? What is it?"

Suddenly a bag was thrust into his arms.

"Ehhh?" He sounded, holding the bag, carefully, as he looked at the name.

"Russian Sushi?"

"Yup! It's a "thank you" for helping out. There's enough in there for both you and Izaya to share, so would you mind stopping by his work? He should be getting off soon."

Shizuo sighed. "Why do I gotta go see him again?"

"Awe, come on Shizuo! You know he's not that bad. Besides, you're just taking him his lunch. It's your choice whether or not you want to eat with him," Shinra reminded.

With a grumble under his breath, Shizuo concurred.

"Alright," and with that, headed out the door, bag in hand.

Standing in front of the door to the hair salon, Shizuo hesitated once again. Taking a breath, he opened the door, a bell chiming to announce his entrance.

"Welcome!" A cheery voice greeted, as a girl wearing all black waved at him. "How may I help you?"

She smiled, friendly.

Shizuo scratched the back of his head. "Um . . . is Izaya Orihara here by any chance?" He mumbled.

"Iza-Iza? Oh yeah! Just a minute, he's in the back; I'll go get him!" She sang, twirling away in a fitful burst of energy, out of Shizuo's ear shot.

"Iza-Iza! Some guy is here for you!"

Izaya looked up from his task, at the young woman's voice. "Oh yeah? Wonder who it is . . ." He said aloud, following the woman out.

Passing by the woman whose hair he was cutting, he paused. "I'll be right back, okay?" Once she had nodded, he continued until he saw a mop of blond hair.

Stopping in his tracks, he grinned.

"Shizu-chan!"

Shizuo cringed at the name. "Shut it, Flea." Thrusting the bag into the unsuspecting raven's arms, Shizuo turned to leave.

"Ah, hey! Wait a minute!" Izaya yelled, running up, and pulling the debt collector back.

"What is this?" He asked confused, as he lifted the bag of food for emphasis.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "Don't you read? It's Russian Sushi."

Izaya rolled his own eyes in turn, shifting his weight on one leg.

"What I _meant _was why did you bring me this?"

Shizuo groaned.

"It's a "thank you" from Shinra for helping out. He sent me to give it to you."

Recognition lit up the younger man's face as he nodded in approval. Dipping a hand inside, he pulled out some of the containers of food to see what was there. Eyes shooting wide at the amount, he grinned, happily.

"Neh, Shizu-chan! This is too much for me to eat all by myself. I'm almost done with my shift, so if you're not busy, would you like to eat lunch together?" He inquired, earnestly.

The woman who had fetched Izaya in the first place, and who had also been listening eagerly in on their conversation lit up at the proposal. "Iza-iza! Oh my gosh, are you asking him on a date?! T-then that must mean! I mean, is he-!"

Izaya shook his head, cutting her off. "No ,Erika-chan; unfortunally Shizu-chan here is in denial still on how sexy and irresistible I am, and so I still need to win him over, you see . . ." He waved, innocently, smiling brightly at her.

Before Shizuo could retort, a loud, drawn out squeal erupted from the hyper active brunette. "Kyaaaaaaaaa~! It's love; it's love; it's love!" Then quickly grasping the blonde's outstretched hands, she beamed brightly up at him. "Accept your desires! Let them run free, Shizu-chan!"

Shizuo blanched. 'What the hell is with this girl?!' Shoving her hands away, he turned. "Thanks, but no thanks; and my name's not Shizu-chan."

Izaya pouted at the answer. "You _sure_ about that Shizu-chan~?"

"I just said my name isn't _Shizu-chan_, its Shizuo Heiwajima!" He retorted back, earning a chuckle and a giggle from the two.

"You didn't answer~" Izaya purred cheekily, grinning widely up at the debt collector with mirth.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "Don't corrupt the meaning."

"Okay, okay; learn to take a joke! But seriously, do you want to eat lunch together, or not?" Izaya prompted, looking up at him seriously, or at least as serious as "Izaya" could be.

Hearing his stomach start to growl at the mention of food, Shizuo sighed. _Shinra did say it was for them to share . . ._

"Fine."

Izaya smirked.

"Alright, let me just finish up with this young lady here~" Izaya smiled, sliding back over to a young woman seated in one of the chairs.

"Thought I forgot about you now, didn't you?" Izaya teased, poking fun at the girl, earning a giggle in the process.

Shizuo shook his head, as he seated himself in an empty seat nearby. His face was the picture of apathy, but secretly, he wanted to observe, and to see with his own eyes a greater extent of this man's skill. He watched as the playful highschooler took on a more concentrated, and dedicated look, all the while making idle conversation with the woman, so she wouldn't feel too left out.

Shizuo watched.

Nimble fingers played through the woman's hair, a fine toothed comb splitting the hair into sections, as he easily parted it. Fingering around for some scissors, Izaya brought the blades to the woman's hair, gently isolating a semi thick strand of her hair, and making a cut.

Shizuo continued to watch.

"You want it like this, right?"

The girl nodded, gracing him with a shy smile, at Izaya's question. Nodding, he continued.

Soon the girl's hair was taking on a gently angled look, coming down a little above her shoulders. Shizuo watched as the girl's face took on a highly satisfied look; the more he played around with her hair. Finally coming to a finish, Izaya stood before her, with a hand on his hip, as he scrutinized his work. Turning the chair around, he got a look at the back, running a hand through the hair, before brushing it back down. Viewing the full look one more time, from back, to sides, to front again, he bit his lip, lightly. Staring at her bangs, he pushed them all to one side and a smile came to his face.

"Perfect. What do you think?" He handed her a mirror to see the back part if she wished.

The girl stared at herself in the mirrors, her lips curving into a big smile as the minutes ticked on, her eyes glowing with contentment.

"I LOVE it! Thank you so much!" She squealed lightly, feeling her fingers through the strands.

Even Shizuo was surprised. It was a simple hair cut really, yet . . . it looked beautiful. Shizuo could tell that Izaya had really gone full out. The girl was smiling so big now . . . Catching the raven's eyes; Shizuo blushed slightly, and looked away. 'Damn flea doesn't need another ego boost . . .'

After the girl expressed her thanks fully, Izaya nodded towards the door. "You good to go?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, but let's eat at my place, because I want to check up on my sisters. That okay with you?"

Shizuo felt a little awkward at the thought of going to a man's home that he had just met, but didn't want to come off as rude, so shrugged his shoulders instead, with a light dipping of his head.

Saying a short good bye, the two slipped out the door, with their meal in the hands of a happy Izaya Orihara.

"Well this is my place!" Izaya gestured, smiling politely. Shizuo's jaw dropped.

"Damn . . . are you rich or something?!" He asked aloud, but immediately blushed afterwards. _'How rude,'_ he thought.

But in all seriousness, Izaya Orihara . . . had a nice place. It was very roomy for one, and although it lacked a touch of family portraits, it had quite a collection of art pieces and phrases littering the walls, so it wasn't like it was a dreary atmosphere. The walls were of a cream color, noticeably different from Shizuo's own baby blue walls at his own place. A huge TV sat, situated in what appeared to be the living room, a glass coffee table in front, decorated with tiny designs around the edges, and a long tan colored couch in the shape of an L, rested comfortably within the room.

"I'm HOME!" The sudden yelling caused Shizuo to flinch, having not been expecting it. Before he could comment, the sharp and squealing sound of whom Shizuo could only presume to be one of Izaya's sisters was heard from atop a carpeted staircase.

Izaya visibly flinched.

The sound of rushing feet was heard, clambering down the stairs, which earned a curious look from the blond. As the sounds got closer, Shizuo observed what looked to be a pair of twins, with one leading the other by the hand.

"Shiki-sa-" The one with braided hair cut off to a pause, stopping with her eyes glued to Shizuo. A frown graced her lips, followed by the other girl with an almost indiscernible pout.

"Iza-nii! Where is Shiki-san and Aka-san?!" The one with braids complained, sporting what looked to be a school uniform.

"Candy." The girl with short hair prompted.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Shiki-san and Akabayashi-san are busy today, so you two can forget about being spoiled brats for the day."

"Hey! That's not funny, Iza-nii! Take that back!" Braids yelled, running up to the hairdresser, and ringing her small hands around his arm, nearly causing him to lose balance, and drop their lunch.

"Mean. Tack back." The short haired girl added, earning an exasperated look from the raven haired man.

"Whatever, you know it's true. Akabayashi-san spoils you too way too much, just because you're kids."

This seemed to only add fuel to the fire, as the two ganged up on the man, hitting him in the side, and yelling.

Shizuo was a little lost, but couldn't help but snicker slightly.

Izaya glared.

"Shut it you." Sighing, he brought his free hand to push the other two back, making them look him in the eyes.

"Look will you two be good and go upstairs if I give you some of our lunch?"

They both stopped at the compromise, their small minds seeming to think the idea over, before the quieter of the two nodded in acceptance.

Izaya shook his head.

"Typical."

He reached his hand into the bag and brought out the box of sushi. Setting it on the counter, he motioned them over, and easily plopped a piece, one each into the twin's mouths as a sample.

They chewed thoughtfully, before their mouths scrunched into a look of distaste.

"Ew! Iza-nii, that was gross!" Braids complained, forcing down the food with a grimace.

"Can't help it if your childish tastes can't appreciate the delicacy that is otoro." Izaya brushed off, waving them away.

"Nasty stuff. Tastes." The short haired girl piped up, earning a confused look from Shizuo.

"Whatever, I gave you two a taste, so now you have to respect your part of the deal. Shizu-chan and I are going to be down here, eating."

"Fine . . ." The leader of the two grumbled to herself, and without another glance at her brother, turned and left, with the other girl in tow.

Once he was sure that the two had left, Izaya sighed and turned to Shizuo.

"Sorry about that . . . They can be a handful," Izaya grumbled, with an exasperated look crossing his pale features.

"Looked like you were having fun, actually," Shizuo saved, staring at him.

Izaya faltered, his mind processing the message. A small smile graced his lips.

"Um, make yourself at home." Izaya walked over to the couch in the room, before plopping himself down into the plush cushions, and leaning back. Shizuo awkwardly looked around, before mimicking the gesture, and taking a seat beside the raven.

Setting down the bag of food onto the coffee table in front of him, Izaya began to open it up once more. His face lit up again at the meal.

"Oh yeah! Would you like to watch TV? Or listen to music? Something like that?" Izaya asked, as the thought entered his mind.

"Anything's fine, I guess."

Izaya rolled his eyes, before picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

"I hate when people do that."

Shizuo paused, mid chew.

"Do what?" He asked with a mouthful of food.

Izaya grimaced. "Ew? Talk when your mouth _isn't_ full of food. And I meant that I hate when people make me chose, when I was the one who asked."

Shizuo shrugged, continuing to eat. It was actually really good. Just looking at the other man, he could tell that he was enjoying it much more, however. His eyes were even closed over in contentment, as he lay back relaxed, and savored the taste.

The two sat and ate, enjoying their meal. Neither was really too concerned on what was showing on TV, as Izaya kept the conversation quite lively. At first, Shizuo would admit that the thought of going to his house, had made him a little nervous, but now that they were here, he found that it wasn't bad at all. In fact . . . he was actually starting to feel himself relax.

"Hey, so now that you've met my siblings; Mairu was the one with the braids and Kururi is her twin sister, the one with short hair, what's your own brother like, out of curiosity?"

"Kasuka? Uh well . . ., he's . . . quiet?"

Izaya smiled. "Quiet . . .?"

"I don't know! He's like . . . even around me, he doesn't talk much. It doesn't really bother me though."

"Are you two close?" Izaya asked, fumbling with his last piece of sushi.

'Close?' Shizuo thought to himself.

"Yeah. I feel like he's the only one who really understands me, sometimes. You know?"

It went quiet as the sound of chewing was heard, along with the TV acting as background noise.

Shizuo had assumed that the conversation was over, but was surprised when the younger man said something, to bring it up again.

"I don't really think that anyone understands me completely."

Shizuo glanced to the side. Izaya had finished his share of the meal, and was staring back at him.

Shizuo looked away. "Why do you say that?"

"People seem to hate me a lot when they get to know the real me. I guess they just don't understand me," Izaya shrugged.

"Heh, I know exactly what you mean."

Izaya tilted his head. "How so?"

Shizuo scratched the back of his head. "Uh . . . another time. Let's just say I'm not that great a guy."

Shizuo sighed, sinking back into the plush cushions of the couch. Suddenly a hand struck out, catching him off guard. The next series of events were completely unexpected.

Pulling his face to the side, up close and personal with the younger man, Shizuo's face heated at the feeling of the other's breath on his skin. His breath caught, as his mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out what was going to happen. _He . . . wasn't going to kiss him, right?_

Crimson orbs stared fully into mocha pools, splitting through him, as the feeling of overexposure crossed Shizuo's nerves. A shiver went through him and it was almost as if his entire being was being stripped bare. He barely even knew this person, yet the way their eyes met, seemed as if the raven knew everything about him. It was . . . alarming.

"Your eyes aren't the ones befitting a bad person." Izaya's voice piped up, snapping Shizuo out of his hypnosis like state of mind. Shizuo blinked in sudden confusion. He'd . . . never been told something like that before. Before he could question the raven, the man continued talking.

"I don't believe you're a bad person."

Shizuo's eyes widened. '_What?' _"You . . . barely know me."

Izaya shrugged, finally backing away, into his proper seat. "Like I said before, your eyes aren't the ones befitting a bad person. You're too honest."

Shizuo's mind shut down. _'_Your eyes aren't the ones befitting a bad person. . .'

That was a first. Suddenly Shizuo's attention took on a new interest in this man.

"Ya know . . . I don't think you're that bad a person, either."

Neither man spoke, and for a moment Shizuo had assumed that he simply had not heard him, but at the slight twitching of his lips, upwards, he knew that he had.

"Haha! This is actually pretty nice. It's not too often that I have someone to eat with."

Shizuo turned his head.

"I agree." He didn't know how else to put it, and so he allowed the man to lead on the rest of the conversation.

"Maybe we could do it again, sometime. I hate eating alone; it's so boring! I mean, unless there's something interesting going on around me, I guess."

Shizuo grunted in reply.

Suddenly a rustling at his side, caught his attention. The other male fished out his cell phone and flipped it open, before nodding at Shizuo.

"What's your number?"

Shizuo blinked. "What?"

"You said you wouldn't mind eating together again, right?"

"You said that."

Izaya huffed. "But you implied that you wanted to."

Shizuo grinned a little at that, considering messing around with the raven a little more, but ultimately deciding against it.

"Here," he put in his own number, before fetching out his own cell, and having Izaya do the same with his.

It was rare that Shizuo decided to give another person his number, but he'd always had the habit of going with gut feelings, and something told him when the raven looked up at him expectantly for his number, to just . . . do it. And so he did.

They continued to talk and lazily watch the TV, hesitation from before completely edging away. It was as if . . . they were never strangers to begin with.

* * *

**A.N.- SO I was going to update this Saturday, but stuff happened, and interfered with that. So instead, I will thank you all for waiting patiently instead! I really love this fic a lot; it's like my baby xD So I'm happy that there are people enjoying it as well. **

**R&R PLEASE!**


	7. Only for your amusement

**TBTO**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Durarara**

**A.N.- The last two chapters I wasn't so satisfied with, so I may go back and redo them later; just a head's up**

**Warning! Stereotypical fluffy overload awaits you! **

* * *

(Shizuo's POV)

"Okay so . . ., tell me what I'm doing here with you at an amusement park again?" Shizuo asked, as he casually walked beside his raven haired friend.

In all honesty, Shizuo really hadn't minded the short notice. Ever since the day the two had ate lunch together that day, and exchanged numbers, they'd become friends. Shizuo wasn't used to having friends, so it was almost strange being around Izaya at times. How should he act? How should he react to certain situations? He found himself asking himself these sorts of questions at times. Even so, most of the time anytime he asked himself these things; they would always play out naturally, no matter what he had planned.

It was natural that the two texted each other when they woke up and when they said "goodnight. It was natural that the two always ate together on the weekends. It was natural that Izaya would call Shizuo "Shizu-chan", just as it was natural that Shizuo would call Izaya "Flea." It had become nothing short of "their way". Shizuo found it strange how two strangers could become friends in such a short time period. He didn't understand how it happened or why he felt so . . . comfortable with being around him.

He felt like he could act himself. It was . . . something he'd always wanted. So why was Izaya special out of all people? He could never figure it out. They'd only known each other for little over a month, while Shizuo had known Shinra for years, and years, and years, and yet . . . he didn't quite get the same vibe around Shinra, that he got when he was with Izaya. Of course he'd never admit such a thing aloud . . .

Coming back to the conversation at hand, Izaya sighed at the question. "Because my sisters wanted me to take them here, and so to save my sanity, I thought it would be best to bring someone along to amuse me. That and, Shiki-san refused to go with me!" A visible pout crossed the younger's face.

Shizuo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah but . . ., isn't this the sort of place you'd take your girlfriend to instead? Especially since the twins already split up from us." _'And who is Shiki?' _He thought to himself, puzzled.

Izaya opened his mouth to respond, but before any words could leave his lips, Shizuo cut in.

"You know what, never mind. The point is, next time I'm picking the place."

Izaya smirked. "Is is a date?"

But the blond hadn't heard, as he was instead standing and eyeing a cotton candy stand. Izaya grinned. "Ya know, for a grown man, you sure do have childish tastes. That stuff is so sweet, it's disgusting." Izaya grimaced, his nose crinkling up in distaste.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "Tsk, and the crap fleas eat is supposed to be good? Whatever, I'm getting some." Before he could fish out his wallet, however, a hand stopped him, and pulled him away. "Not until we've ridden a few rides! We can get cotton candy later."

Not giving Shizuo the chance to complain, the younger man led him away by the arm, away from the sugary sweetness, and started heading towards what looked to be a-

Shizuo stopped dead in his tracks, yanking Izaya back by the sudden resistance. Confused and looking a little ruffled by the sudden dead stop, Izaya eyed Shizuo. "What's the matter?"

Shizuo's stare traveled from the rollercoaster, back to the inquiring man before him. "I don't like roller coasters." He said plain and simple, earning an incredulous look from the raven.

"You're _afraid _of roller coasters?"

Shizuo flushed. "I didn't say that! I just said I don't like them."

A suspicious look overcame his friend's face. "Aha! Well then . . ., I guess I'll just have to change your mind, right?"

Shizuo sweated a bit. "No thank you."

"Awe, why not? Are you . . . scared?" A challenging look crossed the raven, as he eyed Shizuo, carefully.

The conversation carried out in all of its stereotypical glory. First denial, followed by mockery, and ending up in a victorious peer pressure assault, as the hair dresser bullied his friend into riding one with him.

"Come on Shizu-chan~ You said it yourself that you aren't scared. Let's prove this then . . ., shall we?" Izaya purred, leaning close, so that he was hovering inches from Shizuo's face.

Shizuo was used to these sorts of tactics, and yet they still always embarrassed him. He assumed it was just Izaya's way of being intimidating, and yet it never failed to get under his skin.

Shizuo glared. " . . . Fine."

* * *

Shizuo felt like hurling. The last roller coaster the flea had dragged him on was the most dreadful experience of his life. Throughout the entire ride, he could feel himself stiff as a board, his pupils dilated on their own accord. Izaya on the other hand, appeared to be having the time of his life, especially at the point when they were suspended in mid air, faced with an inescapable drop. Shizuo had felt nothing but absolute, sheer terror in that moment, and all pride had jumped overboard, as his sweaty, clammy with nerves, hand met Izaya's in a vice grip. The raven had merely continued his maniacal laughter, although now with a slight wince at the pressure. Right as the screams reached their peaks of excitement, Shizuo's eyes had forced shut.

Now bent half way over in a dizzy spell on a bench, Shizuo felt his entire body was sore. The ride had not only been terrifying, but it curved and jerked you around mercilessly, and he was sure he would have a stiff neck and back for the rest of the day. How Izaya had managed to enjoy the ride, Shizuo would never know.

Standing over the blonde, the said male grinned innocently down. "Neh, Shizu-chan~ If you were so afraid of roller coasters, you should've just said so!"

Shizuo glared half heartedly up, but instead of seeing mischievous, twinkling crimson, he was met with a fluffy cloud of pink instead.

He blinked, staring at it.

"Well? Are you going to accept it or not?" The raven prompted, pushing the cotton candy into the debt collector's unsuspecting hands.

Shizuo stared for a bit, but eventually muttered a quiet "thank you", and took a bite of the sugary cloud, as his friend shrugged, and took a casual seating at his side. He didn't need to ask when he got the treat; they were right beside a vendor.

"So when are we meeting up with your sisters again?" Shizuo asked, pink cotton candy escaping out the corner of his mouth.

"Two hours from now," Izaya answered, fishing out his phone to confirm it.

"So . . . Shizu-chan."

Shizuo groaned, recognizing the tone of voice.

"What do you want?"

"Let's go on another roller coaster!"

Shizuo nearly choked at this statement.

"Hell no!" He glared pointedly into crimson pools.

"Please! Come on! What else is there to do here?" Izaya begged, childishly.

Shizuo blanched. "Oh I don't know . . ., hmm, let me think about that. Oh I know! Games, Farris wheel, something that doesn't jerk you around like your neck is going to snap off any minute, maybe?"

Izaya stared.

"How old are you? Four?"

Dodging a half hearted punch from the blonde, Izaya smirked. "I'm kidding! But can't we wait to do those things at the end at least? Just one more roller coaster, okay? Please? And I swear if you don't like it, we won't go on anymore. Promise!"

Shizuo took another bite of his cotton candy, glumly. Sighing, he consented, knowing Izaya would find a way to manipulate him into going anyways, otherwise.

"Fine . . . but ONE more. No more than that okay? One and ONLY one." Shizuo emphasized, sternly, earning a cheerful grin from the other, as he once again "promised" to do just that.

. . . That day Shizuo Heiwajima learned never to trust a promise from Izaya Orihara.

* * *

-Later-

"Really, Shizu-chan? A Ferris wheel? I can't believe this is the last ride we go on, before meeting up with my sisters. You're such a bore." Izaya insulted, sitting with a palm under his chin, propping his head up, as he stared into mocha eyes.

"Shut up, Flea. You promised I could chose the last ride. Besides this is relaxing, and so much better than those stupid roller coasters you dragged me on." Shizuo grumbled the last part, glaring softly.

Izaya smirked, deviously. "You liked them~" His raven strands encompassed his face, gently swooping about, as the wind cradled the pieces, the edges of his scarlet soaked v-neck flying out from his form, pulling up with each teasing cradle, the two synchronizing with ease. Shizuo having grown accustomed to Izaya's tastes by now, had learned that red was his favorite color. He wore so much of it that it made him wonder at times whether his friend owned any other color.

Shizuo glared, stubbornly. "I only liked the last one."

"Liar! You were smiling on the last three, if I remember correctly. Although on the ones before that, you kept crushing my hand. That hurt ya know~" Izaya teased, rubbing at his hand in mock discomfort. Shizuo growled, hiding his embarrassment.

Eyes slipping away from his, Izaya stared out around them, viewing the entire park.

"You know, I really love high places."

Shizuo blinked, staring wondrously at the sudden change in conversation. Before he could ask, the raven, as usual, carried the conversation.

"It's as if I can see everything! The people on the ground look so fragile, I feel like I could just step on them like ants~ It's . . . exhilarating! Having that sort of control over people . . ."

Shizuo swallowed. It seemed as if the raven's entire being had changed in an instant. His once joking, cheerful self, had now taken on a look of wild, sadistic, and almost . . . bitter . . . apparel. It was unarming, as if he were thinking aloud, rather than actually speaking in turn.

"You know . . . you're a very weird guy." Shizuo commented, his fingers twitching.

"Am I?" Izaya still had that distant look, his eyes slightly glazed.

Shizuo stared at him, but the raven didn't seem to notice. Sighing, he brought a hand to his chest, and slipped a hand inside the pocket that resided there. Pulling out the contents, he attempted to pull out a cigarette, but was quickly intercepted.

"Ah!" Gasping, he gazed quizzically from the hand connecting from his hand that grasped the pack of cigarettes, to the owner of the other hand. Suddenly it was as if those crimson orbs had never left his own, and the typical Izaya was back.

Shizuo blinked. Had he imagined the sudden distance?

"Don't smoke. It's bad for you. Besides, I hate the smell."

Shizuo paused, staring intently into the younger's face, as if looking for a trace of any past feelings, but found none. He was sure it had been there though; he was sure.

Shrugging, he grumbled, but complied.

Stopping at the top of the Ferris wheel now, the two were suspended in silence.

"Is it true that you really don't have a girlfriend?"

The question was so sudden, it almost surprised him. He didn't know why. Izaya was always unpredictable. Rolling his eyes, Shizuo answered.

"Yeah, it's true. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

With a cat like grin, Izaya leaned forwards, staring, observing, gauging his reaction; it was almost as if he were forcing Shizuo's thoughts into a trap, as he came dangerously close to him.

Shizuo didn't falter though, he didn't back down. He recognized these antics; he knew the game. It was a challenge. Izaya enjoyed a sense of superiority over others, and Shizuo would not yield, even if it did embarrass him.

"I don't know-", Izaya's voice came out in a purr, "-maybe it's because you're so interesting . . ."

He paused, as if to monitor Shizuo's reaction, "-or maybe there's another reason."

Grinding his teeth, Shizuo forced down a blush. Izaya didn't mean anything by it, he only wanted to trip Shizuo up; Shizuo knew this, yet the raven's disarming ways was something that was near impossible to keep up with at times; hard to defend against.

"I always get this vibe about you; it's like you're hiding something . . . and I want to know what." By now the raven was towering over the blonde, their faces so close, that Shizuo felt breath against his lips, that was not his own. Once again he was taken back to the memory of that day on the couch when they first ate together. Immediately, he dismissed the thought. '_Of course not! He's just being his usual weird . . . flea self.'_

"Tsk, like you can talk. Hypocrite." He snarled in defense, not pulling away in the slightest, despite his discomfort.

A gentle smile graced his lips at the call out. It didn't reach his eyes.

"My Shizu-chan~ I have no idea what you're talking about. No secrets here." As if to support his claim, the high school student put up both hands, as if in surrender; see through.

Shizuo glared, eyeing those crimson pools down, as if urging them to submit silently, and to admit. Admit? To what exactly?

Their hands brushed against each other, their faces so close, that their foreheads almost touched. Neither seemed to notice.

Then, out of the blue, a cell phone went off. The sound shocked the both of them. Their lips met in shock.

Eyes widening, Shizuo's face dusted pink, and he quickly backed away, staring, mouth agape at the raven. It wasn't a kiss. Their lips didn't mold together, to gentle caress one another, they didn't taste each other; it was a simple accident. They merely brushed against each other, the most casual of touches, so soft, that it was almost unnoticeable, like when one's arm brushes against another arm, when trying to get through a busy crowd. Even so, Shizuo's face felt heated.

Izaya on the other hand, although surprised, didn't seem to be bothered by it. No trace of red sprinkled his face. He blinked. The ringing continued, and he took out his cell phone from his pants pocket, and answered.

It was the twins.

They came back to the ground; the ride at its end.

Shizuo couldn't erase his expression.

'What just happened?'

* * *

**A.N. - **

**I ADORED this chapter. I felt like I was drowning in fluff :'D **

**I worry I made them kind of ooc however, which is something I _hate,_ but maybe it's just because the type of fic this is, that they come off that way. What do you all think?  
**

**Constructive Criticism? (Won't take offense). No flames though!**

_**Lastly, the rating will be going up to M next chapter; just a head's up! **_


	8. Because you mean something (Part A)

**TBTO**

**Chapter 8: Because you mean something (Part A)**

**Boost rating! :o**

**M now**

* * *

"Who is that person?" Izaya asked, nonchalantly leaning over the older man's shoulder, his chest brushing his back.

"None of your business." The coldness from the suited man's voice yielded no bitterness from the other. He was used to it.

"Afraid I'm going to stick my nose where it doesn't belong?" Izaya chuckled softly, his breath caressing the older man's ear, gently.

"I know how you are," Shiki responded, confirming the statement.

Thin lips curved into a frown.

"You know, just because you're friends with my parents, doesn't mean you have to treat me like a kid. I am your boyfriend, after all." Izaya chastised, nuzzling his face into the man's neck.

"I'm not interested." Shiki commented, never taking his eyes off of his work.

"So cruel, Shiki-san~ You're going to ignore me again?"

" Stop acting so needy. I have work to do."

Izaya sighed, staring blankly into the other's neck.

"Don't be like that. You must be thinking about it too, right?" He asked, his crimson orbs shifting to the side, refusing to meet eyes with the other.

A long sigh was heard and the shifting of a chair. "You're still as childish and needy as ever. You never change."

Head hidden within the crook of the older man's neck, Izaya breathed in.

"When are you going to stop using others to cope?" Shiki reprimanded. His tone held no sting.

"This will be the last time. I swear."

Izaya swallowed, thickly. He couldn't meet the other's eyes. They both knew it was a lie.

Bringing his lips up to the soft flesh of the other's ear, he exhaled.

"So," he paused, "let's fuck . . ., neh?"

* * *

Flesh glided over flesh, sweet friction causing eyes to bug, until tears began to bead.

"A-aaah, Sh-Shiki!" A breathless Izaya moaned out into the other's ear, nails clenching into the fabric of the yakuza executive's suit.

Reaching up to initiate a kiss from the man, Izaya gasped, as a warning growl sounded, and the high school student was pushed into the surface of the hardwood floor.

He whimpered.

Head pressed into the hard, coldness, as a fist gripped the mess of raven hair, Izaya breathed in a shaky gasp.

"Shiki -san. . ., not so, hngh . . .!, rough!" Izaya gasped, as a hand dived into the waistband of his boxers.

"Shut up or I'll gag you, Orihara." Shiki warned, giving a light, but firm squeeze to the younger's arousal, earning a shudder and an out of breath moan in response.

"F-fuck . . ."

_It was messed up. It was childish. It was the wrong way to deal with things. _

Pumping his needy cock faster, a guttural moan escaped Izaya at the older man's administrations, drool escaping from between the expanse of his lips. His jeans were uncomfortably tight and his body, becoming heated with need.

_F-uck! It's not enough . . .! Why did that have to happen?! Why couldn't I have saved them sooner? I wouldn't blame them if they said they hated me . . ._

Suddenly, as if these very thoughts brought him back to the present, Izaya yelled out. "Sh-it! Shiki-san! Fuck, get on with it, already!" He growled, eyes swimming with a mix of different emotions. _Lust. Fear. Frustration. Anguish. Desperation. _

Momentarily staring each other in the eye, Shiki leaned forwards and . . . unexpectedly kissed Izaya's lips.

The kiss was soft and gentle, very unlike Shiki. Well, kisses at all were rare for Shiki, much less with him initiating them. Confused, Izaya kissed back after a pause of hesitance, and shivered as a wave of vulnerability washed over him. _Shiki could always see right through to him, it seemed._ It never failed to send a cold feeling of dread throughout the high-schooler. Izaya prided in his ability to appear as a mystery. Although it was a lonely aspect of his life, it meant less trouble for him, since people would often times not see his flaws. But with Shiki, that didn't apply. He'd been around from the start, after all.

Breaking the kiss, Izaya maneuvered his body so that the front of his body was one with the floor, his mouth inches away from Shiki's hardened cock, while the back of his body was raised in the air. He gave a taunting lick to the head of the man's cock, crimson orbs flicking upwards to gauge the man's reaction. . . . It seemed almost bored.

Licking his lips in determination, Izaya almost smirked. He always treated these things as somewhat of a game. Shiki had always been a tough cookie to crack. The challenge was half the fun, really. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Izaya could tell that Shiki was doing this on purpose. He knew that it was a turn on for Izaya, and that it would serve well to distract him from his thoughts, and truthfully . . . it was working well.

With a flick of his tongue, Izaya dragged the soft, pink appendage up the length of the man's cock, slowly, teasingly, and shifted his ass in the air from side to side, as if lightly dancing to an unheard music. His view returned to the focus of the yakuza executive, watching as the man traced his every movement, but unfortunally, not a single change in expression occurred. It seemed he would have to try harder than that . . .

Sensually running one hand down the man's still partly clothed thigh, the other hand dipped partly into the man's pants, so that it could travel down the to the part of Shiki's cock, that was still hidden within the man's clothing. Dipping his head further, Izaya's entire mouth came down over the other man's arousal. Sucking on the tip, Izaya was finally awarded a soft grunt of approval. Grinning, he continued his ministrations, taking in more of the length, as he hummed a tune.

When hands came down to tug at his ink-stained hair, Izaya smirked. Suddenly being flipped over and pinned not so lightly to the floor, Izaya groaned. Before he could recuperate, his pants were pulled down in a second, along with his boxers, and thrown away to the side, somewhere; where exactly, Izaya didn't care.

"Finally! Thought you were starting to get cold feet, Shiki-san," Izaya purred, staring up at him with half lidded eyes.

Glaring, Shiki promptly shoved three fingers into the unsuspecting teen's mouth.

"Mnf!" Izaya fought back a glare of his own, instead focusing his energy on the three digits within his mouth. Rolling his tongue purposefully against them, Izaya played with the fingers a little, before sucking on each one, individually, and making sure each was properly coated with saliva.

Pulling the fingers out of his mouth, Izaya turned his body so that his backside was facing the yakuza executive. Leading the fingers near his heated entrance, Izaya allowed Shiki to take the rest of the lead, as he bent his head, resting it between his arms in the front.

Wasting no time, Shiki quickly thrusted all three digits into Izaya's hole at once.

"Nngh!" A semi pained filled expression blossomed over the teens face, mixed with a look of discomfort. "Neh, Shiki-san, st-op rushing it!"

"I thought you wanted me to get on with it, Orihara." Shiki commented, continuing to thrust the fingers in and out of the high-schooler.

"F-uuck!" Izaya dug his finger nails into his palms, tensing his body at the uncomfortable feeling. It had been a while since Izaya had had sex with anyone, and unfortunally, he failed to remember Shiki's brashness.

Rolling his eyes, Shiki curved his fingers ever so slightly, and dove in.

"AH! Th-there! Right there!" Izaya moaned, as the man hit his sweet spot. It still hurt a little, but the pleasure was far greater. Izaya bit his fist, stifling his moans, as Shiki continued thrusting his fingers in and out, hitting that spot at times, while other times, purposefully missing.

"Mnghhh, Shiki . . . san," Izaya groaned, face flushed with pleasure.

Grunting in reply, the fingers were abruptly removed. Izaya shivered at the wet squelching sound, turning his head back, to look at the yakuza executive.

The head of his cock was pointed at the teen's heated entrance, and Izaya shivered, feeling the flesh gliding over his skin, before entering.

He gasped, his insides tightening against the almost foreign intruder, as the stern faced man pushed further in.

Once he was fully sheathed inside, Izaya panted, attempting to catch his breath, as sweat pooled down his body.

Waiting for the teen to adjust, Shiki's fingers curled against his waist. Panting filled the quiet, before Izaya pushed backwards, signaling for the man to continue, silently. It started off slow, before gaining momentum, as Izaya moaned and clawed at the floor; it was all he could do, to hold onto this world.

"Mmmnff! Haaa, mnnnngh . . ." He shuddered and mewled in pleasure, feeling his insides being stretched, fully.

"Hmfff . . . You know, Orihara, you're pretty tight right now. Loosen up, some," Shiki advised, thrusting back in, feeling the heat.

The stuttering reply came back instantly. "E-easy for y-ou to say,you're not the aaahn, one being fucked."

Smirking, Shiki let out a chuckle, sending shivers down the younger's spine. The sound of skin against skin was loud in both their ears, gyrating in a cacophony of out of breath pants. At a particularly hard thrust, Izaya tilted his head back, sweat clumping his bangs to his forehead, as he nearly screamed in pleasure.

"A-aaaaaah! Sh-iki! Th-there!" He managed to bite out, feeling his body shake and convulse sporadically with each and every thrust.

His body felt on fire. He was about to tell Shiki to speed it up a little, when out of the blue, a familiar ring tone went off.

"Ah?" _'Shizu-chan?' _Izaya blinked, slow in his reaction, from his lust fogged mind. As Shiki continued to pummel into him, filling him with his hot and needy cock, Izaya felt his insides melting, but still in the back of his mind, he felt something was wrong. 'Shizu-chan never calls . . .' It was true. The man had always been rather somewhat awkward of a person, and calling wasn't his style; he rather preferred to text. Maybe Izaya was looking too much into it, but he couldn't help the sliver of concern creeping into his unfocused mind.

At the continuing of the ringing, he grasped hold of that feeling.

"Orihara, shut that damn thing off," Shiki said with annoyance, a vein popping at his temple.

"A-ahnnnn, w-wait. I think, haaa, it might be something, mmngh, important," Izaya replied, in between moans.

"Tsk, hurry up." Shiki ordered, gripping his nails into the other's back.

Izaya nodded, almost indiscreetly, before reaching for his phone, which was a short distance away, and pressing the answer button, putting the phone to his ear.

"Shizu?" Izaya asked, out of breath.

"Ah! Flea . . ., I, uh . . ." The sound of the older man's voice over the phone sounded hesitant and stressed, as well as surprised, as if he wasn't expecting him to actually answer.

"Orihara . . ." Shiki warned, giving a not too subtle thrust into the younger's body.

"FUCK!" Izaya screamed into the phone, nearly dropping it in surprise, as the intense gratification of his prostate being hit, filled him.

"What's wrong?!" Shizuo yelled in concern, hearing the sudden scream, and becoming worried.

"Ngh, n-nothing. I uh, f-fell," Izaya covered quickly, thinking up a lie off the top of his head, and shooting Shiki a dark look. The man simply shrugged.

"Oh . . ., are you okay?" Shizuo asked on the other end.

"Yeah. Anyway, what's up? You don't usually call." Izaya spoke, driving straight to the point, and masking his state of self.

"I . . ."

Izaya waited for the other to finish, biting into his wrist, as Shiki continued his assault on him, never letting up for a second. But when Shizuo didn't answer, Izaya took things into his own hands.

"Wh-ats, wrong?" He stuttered, feeling disgusted for enjoying himself, while his friend seemed to be in some sort of unexplained emotional stress.

"I . . ., er you know what, it's not important. Just forget about it."

Izaya frowned. How unusual . . . Shizuo never acted so hesitant and timid. He decided that that just didn't sit well with him.

Before, he could respond, another well aimed thrust hit his prostate and Izaya was seeing stars. When he came back too, he refocused his attention on the phone call.

"Are you sure you're okay?! You sound really out of breath and like you're in pain or something . . ." Shizuo voiced, laying out his concerns.

"Don't worry about it. Now you tell me what's going on. St-op, hngh, hiding it!" He retorted, glaring daggers at the phone.

"But! I, it's a lot to ask . . . I just don't feel comfortable about it. I don't even know why I called . . ."

"Bull! I'll be the judge of that! Tell me!"

Shizuo swallowed on the other end, calculating what his response should be. He trusted Izaya, but . . .

He left the thought unfinished.

". . . I gotta go. Sorry, don't worry about it."

Izaya was in shock for a moment, both by the amazingly euphoric sensations riding through him, and by the other's response. The line going dead snapped the other out of his thoughts.

Clenching the phone tightly in his grasp, Izaya bit his lip. He felt like shit and all he wanted was a good time, to rid his mind of bad memories, but he knew he'd regret ignoring his friend. So taking a deep breath, Izaya opened his mouth.

"Shiki, stop."

The words confused the older man just enough, so that he stopped thrusting.

Before he could respond, Izaya cut in.

"I have to go. I know this is a bad time and I was the one who asked for this, but something came up."

Red eyes looked back and met with cold, black ones, gauging a reaction.

Shiki's face was unreadable.

"Shiki."

Sighing, Shiki pulled out, and placed one hand on the other's head.

It was all Izaya needed to know the man understood.

* * *

**A.N.- Hello guys~ It's been a while, hasn't it? ^_^ I've had a lot going on, honestly, as well as some writer's block. But, I wanted to get this out for a friend's birthday, so here it is. Sorry if the end seems a bit rushed, but I have school tomorrow, so I had to finish fast. Tell me what you all think! Happy birthday, Brittany!  
**

**P.S.- This chapter will be split into two parts. This is part A  
**


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